Utah County is reviewing petition to take over senior services

PROVO — Utah County Commissioners decided Tuesday to give themselves one more week to perfect the language of a petition to take over services for the elderly in Utah County.

The commission seems poised to send the petition to the state Division of Aging and Adult Services after next Tuesday's meeting. There it will be reviewed by division director Alan Ormsby, who will make the final decision.

Ormsby has stated that he will follow the guidelines listed in the federal code, several of which could be read as favorable to the Mountainland Association of Governments, including preference given to existing area authorities on aging and rural areas like Wasatch and Summit counties.

The county released its plan for aging services to area mayors and senior centers in March. MAG, which currently provides aging services for Utah, Wasatch and Summit Counties, later appointed a blue-ribbon task force to review its aging services.

Mayors and commission members on Mountainland's executive council opted against adopting a resolution that would have backed MAG as their preferred provider of aging services.

The county's aging plan includes:

• Expanding Meals on Wheels services from five to seven days a week, plus a funding guarantee to avoid waiting lists.

• Expanding senior outreach services through Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions and county property tax "circuit breaker" programs.

• Increasing funds and resources to all Utah County senior citizen centers.

• Developing better nutritional, educational, legal and medical support for seniors through the Utah State University Extension service, Utah County Attorney's Office and Utah County Health Department, respectively.

At a Mountainland executive council meeting following the release of the Utah County plan, chairman and Springville Mayor, Fritz Boyer, expressed concern that the plan isn't detailed enough.

"They believe they can do it better, but they haven't substantiated it," he said. "Thus far, it's not a plan, it's a statement of desire."

Commissioner Steve White has said the county's motivation in petitioning to take over senior services is to provide better care as the aging population grows.

"It's not that we think Mountainland is not providing good services," he said. "They're providing good services. We just want to provide better ones for our growing senior population."

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