Seniors at a crossroads

Some folks didn't care for it a bit when Lake City Senior Center decided to drop "Senior" from its name.

With sincere respect, that should be the least concern on supporters' radar. And not just in the Lake City.

Senior centers - or whatever you want to call them - are facing the brunt of the same storm that has diminished many organizations' ability to do business the way they used to. Part of that is simply due to the fact that we're living in one of the toughest economic times any of us has ever known. And part of it is that the world is changing more rapidly than ever before, and it's a heck of a challenge to try to keep up with the changes, let alone get ahead.

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners waltzed into their own Hurricane Alley earlier this month when they announced at the last minute that they would not be funding some $13,000 for meals to feed senior shut-ins. The commissioners relented, but they also sent up a skyrocket putting county senior centers on notice that future funding from the public taxpayer is at best in doubt.

The problem is that most senior centers are struggling even without a helping hand from Jai, Dan and Todd. Hence the somewhat heated chit-chat on Sept. 20 at the Lake City Center, which still caters to seniors even if its title doesn't say so.

In our view, these centers are important assets to our communities. But we also believe they've got to figure out better ways to remain viable, and the less dependence they have on taxpayer support - be it federal, state, county or municipal - the more wisely their course will be charted.

A sad but certain reality is that these centers are guaranteed nothing. Those who patronize the centers should bear the greatest responsibility in supporting them, and if the support isn't there, the centers will simply no longer exist. One evident solution is that seniors patronizing the centers become avid recruiters to their cause.

As an exercise in increased understanding, we also ask decision makers among Kootenai County's dozens of taxing entities to visit a senior center near them and meet with patrons. Certainly, one message they'll hear is that some citizens believe government should support the centers with direct funding. But a better, more permanent approach would be this: If taxing entities provide significant property tax relief, citizens will be better able to support whatever they choose.