EVANSVILLE, Wyo. — With a countywide senior services tax district on the Aug. 20 primary election ballot, Central Wyoming Senior Services Director Aimee Fleming made the case for the tax district at Monday’s Evansville Town Council meeting.
Fleming said CWSS, which supports programs like the Casper Senior Center and Natrona County Meals on Wheels, has for several years been surviving off reserve funds that are almost gone now.
“Central Wyoming Senior Services has lived on their reserves for roughly six years,” she said. “Those reserves are nearly gone. I’m being very honest when I say that we have maybe a year left.”
According to Fleming, CWSS has continued aggressively seeking grants, but she said the amount received through federal and state grants has shrunk in recent years. She also said there’s only so much that can be accomplished through fundraising, adding that money made through corporate sponsorships has declined with the decrease in oil and gas industries.
“We have our big [fundraiser] in April at Ramkota; it’s called ‘A Night at the Races,’” Fleming said. “That’s our biggest fundraiser of the year. We netted $15,000 this year. I have to find $270,000.”
In addition to Meals on Wheels and the senior center, CWSS offers a plethora of services, including home aide, assistance finding health insurance, financial assistance for specialized medical equipment, counseling and education, a loan closet and more.
CWSS also offers free meals at the senior center. Fleming said the meals cost the center about $13 each. A sign posted at the cafeteria requests a recommended donation of $6, though one is not required. Should the center be unable to provide free meals, it would put an additional stress on Meals on Wheels due to the expected influx of people seeking its services.
The ballot measure calls for a 1-mill tax, though statute allows for 2. People in Casper currently pay 72 mills on property taxes. County and city operations each impose 12 mills. The largest single portion, 25 mills, goes to school district operations.
Using the property tax formula in Wyoming, the extra mill for the senior services district would add nearly $19 to the final property tax bill on a $200,000 home, or $1.58 per month. It would generate roughly $1.7 million per year.
