KANAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Legislature voted to place an initiative on the November ballot that would provide resources for senior citizens through a new tax.
If voters approve the initiative, it would implement a tax of five cents per $100 of assessed valuation of personal and real property.
Funding gathered from the tax would be deposited to a "Senior Citizens' Services Fund."
It would then be used for services like caregiver support, in-home healthcare, Meals on Wheels and transportation for county residents over the age of 60, with priorities decided by a governing seven-person appointed levy commission board.
Megan Abundis of KSHB 41 spoke with Heath Rath, executive director of PACEKC, and a member of the 'Seniors Count Coalition,' who discussed the importance and necessity of providing seniors with resources.
PACEKC, a branch of Swope Health, provides those resources but says there's a significant gap between the amount of resources the program has and the amount of resources needed for aging adults.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Rath said. "These resources are dedicated to making sure aging adults are able to age in their homes and their communities as opposed to being institutionalized in skilled nursing facilities or assisted living facilities."
Rath said that by 2030, the number of older adults in Jackson County is set to double, and the funding hasn't kept up.
He explained that a survey PACEKC conducted found that in Jackson County, 90% of people want to age in their homes, and the top three needs for assistance include transportation, minor home repairs, and in-home care.
"Everyone has a loved one — a mother, a grandfather, an aunt, an uncle — who is aging, and the reality is that the rate at which Jackson County is aging is significant, and we do not currently have the resources and we are not prepared for the influx of older adults in our community," he said.
Rath explained that for a $200,000 home, the cost to taxpayers is about $20 a year, amounting to $8 million generated county-wide.
Jackson County Legislator Jalen Anderson sponsored the legislation and said he backed it because of personal experience with his aging family.
"The story that I have is the story like thousands of others in Jackson County, that you have to learn how to change bed sheets for your grandma, that she can get down the steps, in and out of the shower, and make sure she can live," Anderson said.
He said if the tax passes it would provide support and dignity to those who have had to be caretakers.
"My grandparents], they did not want me to worry about money and they did not eat for three days," he said. "Norma and Linda Anderson were pillars and the strongest individuals our community could find, but they should not have had to suffer."
Anderson continued, "The challenges that the elderly face, the challenges that our seniors who have fought, who all of their lives to make sure their families are OK — we need to have a place and program that will take care of them, because you people deserve to age in dignity."
LeeAnne Hays, president of SPARK for Lifelong Learning, spoke about the further possible impact they could make if it were to pass.
“We provide lifelong learning and socialization opportunities for senior citizens. If we had access to this funding, we could expand our services substantially," Hays said. "You may have heard that socialization and loneliness are as detrimental to a senior citizen as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. We need to address that very real, real problem. The folks that call the fire department and police department lonely have opportunities to fill that gap.”
Currently, 55 out of 115 counties in Missouri have this senior services tax.
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