Beardstown, IL – A projected $12,000 budget shortfall will have the Cass County Council on Aging cut its van service by 40 percent.
Director Patty Brewer says the council plans to eliminate Monday and Tuesday service in late October.
She says federal funding, which provides about 49 percent of her budget, has remained level, while gas, maintenance and other expenses have risen.
The current annual budget for the council is about $77,000.
She says the senior vans are used to take people to medical appointments, shopping and congregate meal sites.
She believes they are necessary because as people age, they sometimes lose the ability to drive themselves, but still need to make appointments.
She says much of the service is for people who live in nursing homes.
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The council serves seniors throughout Cass County.
It delivers a noon meal to about 15-20 shut-ins through a contract with the Prairie Council on Aging.
In addition, it brings some seniors to the noon meal site for food and conversation or programs.
Brewer says staff at the center also helped more than 500 people with paperwork such as circuit breaker forms or Medicare applications.