AAA sees revenue increase; senior center faces cuts

By Kay Wilson

The Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging is the governmental entity which develops and administers a plan for the senior population in Northwest Missouri’s 18 counties. Most importantly, this agency allocates state and federal funding to senior centers for nutrition services.

Funding to the agency has grown in recent years seeing a 4.4 percent increase from 2013 to 2015, according to its tax forms. The revenues, mostly from government grants, grew from $3.217 million to $3.362 million. During this time, the Nodaway County Senior Center, along with four other centers, experienced a three percent decrease in their allocations from $953,524 in 2013 to $925,805 in 2015.

While revenues were increasing and allocations to the centers, which provided nutrition services both at the center site and for home-bound citizens, saw a decline in funding, the salary of the executive director, Rebecca Flaherty, went up 15 percent from $66,242 in 2013 to $76,398 in 2015. Management and general expenses including employee compensation and benefits saw a 78 percent increase in spending from 2013 until 2015.

Flaherty is held accountable by the elected board members who each directly represent a portion of the 18-county region. These governing board members, the office they serve and their county are: John Hart, Mercer; Mike Hepler, Sullivan; Warren McElwain, DeKalb; David Martin, Livingston; Glen Merritt, Jr., Andrew; all board members; Janet Griffin, chair, Atchison; Sherry Golden, vice-chair, Daviess; Ruth Rother, secretary, Holt; and Shirley Pierce, treasurer, Worth. The members, who do not receive any compensation, serve for a three-year term. Several of the members have served multiple terms with Griffin, Pierce, Rother and Hart being board members dating back to 2009.

Job descriptions have been devised for board members. In general, the governing board helps create the vision, mission, values and policies for the organization and makes sure that they are properly respected.  They are also responsible for financial oversight.

Functions include:

• Serve as a member of the board and attend all board meetings and special events

• Be informed about the organization’s mission, services, policies and programs

• Review agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings

• Serve on committees or task forces and offer to take on special assignments

• Make a personal and/or financial contribution to the organization

• Inform others about the organization

• Suggest possible nominees to the board who can make significant contributions to the work of the board and the organization

• Keep up to date on developments in the organization’s field

• Follow conflict of interest and confidentiality policies

• Refrain from making special requests of the staff

• Ability to listen, analyze, think clearly and creatively and work well with people individually and in a group

• Willing to prepare for and attend board and committee meetings, ask questions, take responsibility and follow through on a given assignment, contribute personal and financial resources according to circumstances, open doors in the community and evaluate oneself

• Develop certain skills if you do not already possess them, such as to cultivate and solicit funds, cultivate and recruit board members and other volunteers as needed, read and understand financial statements and learn more about the substantive program area of the organization

• Possess honesty, sensitivity to and tolerance of differing views, a friendly, responsive and patient approach, community-building skills, personal integrity, a developed sense of values, concern for the organization’s mission, services and needs and a sense of humor

The president of the Nodaway County Senior Center board, David Smith, requested a meeting with the three board members who are meant to represent the Nodaway County entity: Rother, Griffin and Pierce. All three declined to meet with Smith and his fellow board members. Their letters are printed in the adjacent article.

The board generally meets each month in Cameron, however, both the July and August meetings were canceled. The next board of directors meeting is scheduled for 9:30 am, Monday, September 25, at 1304 North Walnut Street, Cameron.