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DENVER – A day after the Colorado Senate eliminated a property-tax break for the elderly, it earmarked additional funds for programs that aid the poorest seniors in the state. In a preliminary budget vote Tuesday, the Senate decided to take money away from tourism promotion and use it to pay for senior programs such as Meals on Wheels, transportation services and other programs. The money was part of a deal reached between Senate Republicans and Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, over a controversial decision to eliminate a program for seniors which reduces property taxes. Hagedorn had agreed to change his vote against eliminating the exemption, which saves the state about $56.6 million a year, in exchange for GOP backing of his amendment to add $2.5 million to the Older Coloradans Program. That brings the state’s allocation for senior programs to nearly $5 million for next year. The change still leaves about $12.5 million in the budget to be used for tourism promotion. "Some people were really relying on that exemption, but it’s one-time money," said Sheila Casey, director of La Plata County Senior Services. "Though it’s unfortunate it was eliminated, the Older Coloradans Program goes directly to seniors who are more needy. (The Legislature) has some tough choices to make, but I’m pleased they decided to do this." Casey said that had the Senate not increased the funding, it would have left La Plata and other counties’ senior-service programs devastated. The 1,082 elderly households in La Plata that qualified for the homestead exemption won’t be able to claim that tax break for at least the next three years. Meanwhile, Sens. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, and Lewis Entz, R-Hopper, got the Senate to go along with rescuing nearly five Department of Local Affairs positions. The five help mostly rural governments with technical infrastructure projects. Other programs weren’t so lucky. Several Democrats tried unsuccessfully to shift money from economic development, prisons and the governor’s Office of Innovation and Technology to fund the Regional Library Service and the Colorado Council on the Arts. Senators, however, did approve the transfer of $100,000 to the arts council from prison law libraries. While only an eighth of the council’s normal budget, it will allow the council to get another $100,000 in matching funds from the federal government. This year, arts programs in La Plata County received about $56,000 from the council, while those in Montezuma County got about $34,000. The Democrats also failed in an attempt to restore funding for the Regional Library Service, which saw all of its funds cut, including two jobs in Durango. The Senate is expected to give final approval to the budget today before sending it to the House for debate. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
