OCR Text |
Show Uirrtcsh Counfy loses bid for own caging agency The State Board on Aging voted 4-1 against a Uintah County Commission request to create a separate, independent in-dependent agency on aging for the county. The board said it will follow a task force and State Advisory Council on Aging recommendation that the county -rema'in;p'art of the present three-county agency for at least six months. Other-" counties are Daggett and Duchesne. Earlier this year Uintah commissioners com-missioners told the state they wanted to withdraw from the agency and create an independent agency. Basically, the commissioners said Uintah does not have large enough representation in the Uintah Basin Association of Governments and, therefore, doesn't receive its share of state and federal funds. F. Leon PoVey, state director of aging, said that if the Uintah request were approved, it would create many financial and other problems for aging services throughout Utah. Carbon County commissioners have made a similar request, but the state board has not acted on'. that matter, pending study by the task force. PoVey said he fears that other counties may follow suit, boosting administrative costs- for aging programs and reducing the amount of funds available for direct services to senior citizens. If Uintah was allowed to create its own separate program, a new director and other staff would have to be hired " there, PoVey said. As part of a motion by Harold T. Newman, board member from Kearns, the board directed the staff of state and area agencies on aging to work closely together for six months to see if political, financial and administrative differences can be worked out among Uintah and other two counties. Harry Nelson, board member from Salt Lake City, seconded Newman's motion, with the understanding that a final decision will be made at the end of six months. Karl Peterson, Price, voted against the motion, stating that counties should be free to do as they wish. Morris Cook, Uintah County clerk-auditor; clerk-auditor; Ralph Siddoway, project director for .Uintah County Council on Aging; George Roth, Roosevelt, executive director- "Utah Basin association of Governnemts; Charles Willis, mayor of Manila, Daggett County; and Merlyn Reynolds, Roosevelt, the association's new director of aging discussed the matter with the board for 1 1 hours. Siddoway, who has worked for many years in Uintah aging programs, told the board that older citizens are entitled en-titled to more service than an area agency can provide. He said the nine association board representatives do not work together to benefit all three counties. They are only interested in what they can get for their own counties, coun-ties, Siddoway said. He said it wouldn't cost Uintah any more to operate a separate program than if it were involved with the other counties. PoVey explained that responsibilities of an area agency were broadened as a result of 1978 amendments to the Older Americans act. New responsibilities are not included in the Uintah program. These new functions would add to the administrative costs of an agency. Uintah would probably not have the money required to provide all administrative ad-ministrative and direct service costs, PoVey said. Cook, who said he represented Uintah commissioners, told the board that the county would not continue membership in the three-county association under any circumstances in the foreseeable future. But he later said the county would cooperate in any board decision. The Uintah representatives expressed ex-pressed concern that local governments govern-ments have lost ability to make decisions independent of state control. Cook said the state was using the "carrot-and-stick" approach regarding' funding, forcing the county to comply. r |