MOUNT VERNON — Knox County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a levy that funds home-delivered meals, lawn mowing and activity centers for residents 60 and older.
If passed, the 5-year, 0.79-mill senior levy would generate $1,155,031 annually. Property owners would pay $28 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value.
The measure is a renewal, so it does not add new tax dollars.
Program directors from Danville, Centerburg and Fredericktown said their programs would shrink or close without the money.
“If this senior levy didn’t pass, it would hurt us tremendously. We probably wouldn’t exist,” Tina Wright of Fredericktown Senior Activity Center said.
Fredericktown has only two paid staff. All others are volunteers.
Lisa Wilson, Centerburg Senior Services, said the center is important to the community.
“If the levy doesn’t pass, then we don’t have a center either,” Wilson said. “That would be devastating for a lot of people.”
Meals and mowing in Danville
Danville’s Sanctuary Community Action has no senior center. Its home-delivered hot meals program operates from a rented kitchen at Danville Methodist Church.
Cooks prepare meals fresh Monday through Friday. The program serves 50 to 55 people a day.
“The meals program is funded entirely through the levy with the exception of the $2 per meal that we get in donations,” director Barb Mickley said.
Seniors have donated just over $50,000 so far this year.
Drivers who deliver meals earn $8 per hour plus mileage reimbursement of 75 cents a mile, Mickley said.
Diane Lepley has delivered meals for several years.
“You never know what you’re going to walk into. Everybody’s story is different, but everybody appreciates that meal every day,” she said.
Mickley said SAC requested and received $80,000 for 2026 and $105,000 the year before.
The agency also runs a lawn-mowing program for seniors who cannot mow for themselves. It served 75 homes this summer.
Mowing costs $40 a visit, and seniors pay an average of more than $20 of that, Mickley said. The program runs April 1 through Oct. 31.
“The people have been very supportive,” Mickley said of the mowing program. “They appreciate the service so much because they couldn’t do it if they didn’t have it — and the meals program is a lifeline to many of the people.”
SAC is non-profit organization and does not accept state or federal funding. All of its funding is donations.
Centers in Centerburg and Fredericktown
In Centerburg, meals are cooked at Knox Community Hospital and delivered by one driver, Wilson said. The route now covers about 30 meals a day, down from 98 during the pandemic.
Wilson requested about $202,000 for 2026, down from $230,000 to $240,000 in previous years. Levy money pays for staff, meal delivery and utilities.
“The other fun stuff, I don’t expect the levy to pay for. I’m going to go out and find that money by doing different things,” Wilson said.
A community dinner brought in more than $1,900. The proceeds helped pay for a bus trip to the Air Force Museum near Dayton and a Cincinnati Reds baseball game.
Wright emphasizes activities that draw seniors out of their homes and the center itself. Activities include plays and music events.
She also actively markets the center.
“Our numbers have gone up. We definitely are seeing some new people coming through our door,” she said.
Wright cited one woman who attends board games but does not play.
“She eats, but she hangs out. She might be sitting there knitting. We’re her socialization,” Wright said.
The Bladensburg Diner is closed on Tuesday but opens for a 9 a.m. senior breakfast. Attendance has grown from 30 to 60.
“They’ve got to run them out at 11 a.m. because they want to socialize,” Senior Levy Advisory Board member Denny Dugan said.
The directors described the centers as more than a place to eat or socialize. They said staff and drivers watch for changes in seniors’ health and routines.
“We make people come out of their homes because it’s going to keep them in their homes longer,” Wilson said.
Wright cited a 95-year-old woman who has come out of her shell. Concerned because center staff had not heard from her for a while, they did a wellness check and discovered she was bowling.
“We all keep an eye on everybody, and that is amazing,” Wright said.
Advisory board provides oversight
The Senior Levy Advisory Board has six members. Board member David Bouchard said agencies submit quarterly spending reports to the board and the county commissioners.
The board cannot control spending, but it reviews how agencies use the money and can influence future funding, Bouchard said.
“We’re not afraid to raise a flag,” he said.
Board member Don York said the arrangement stands apart from news stories about misused public money. He said agency leaders care about the people they serve and are not enriching themselves.
“All these programs are really good. No doubt about it, they need the funding. We need the levy to pass,” Dugan said.
Impact on families
Bouchard said the levy affects more than current recipients.
“It affects the whole community,” he said, noting that today’s 49-year-old will soon be a senior.
“Everybody hopefully will be able to be a recipient of this someday,” he said.
Advisory board member Debbie Beck said the services help working adults who care for aging parents.
“I’m still working, raising a family and taking care of my parents,” she said. “Them being able to have these services is a very helpful thing that can help me during the day while I’m working.”
Wilson also works all day and has a parent who uses senior services.
“We know a meal is getting delivered to her at noon. I know my driver has eyes on her,” she said.
