New organizations added to Ford County Council on Aging

The makeup of the Ford County Council on Aging will be changing to give more seniors a voice on the council.
    The Ford County Commission amended the council's bylaws Monday to add Friendship Meals, Meals on Wheels and the Silver Haired Legislature, the Southwest Kansas Area on Aging and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program to the panel. The number of senior center representatives on the board has been reduced to one person per center.
    County Administrator Ed Elam said people who are interested in representing any of the senior centers on the council should apply to the county commission for appointment.
    Eighteen organizations, including four at-large members, will be represented on the council after the changes are implemented.
    The council is in charge of distributing proceeds from the county's mill levy for senior services after the county commission sets the levy for the year. The mill levy was set at .733 of a mill for fiscal year 2008.
    Commissioner John Swayze, who serves on a task force studying ways to improve senior services, said restructuring the board should give those organizations more of a voice in how their funding is distributed.
    "My idea is to set this up where we can change the structure so we have everybody represented that needs the funding we're providing," he said.
    Swayze also said he thought the county commission should have more say in how the proceeds from the senior services mill levy are distributed.
    Commissioner Terry Williams said he thought the changes to the bylaws were necessary.
    "I think that those are all improvements for the people who use them (senior services)," he said.
    In other business, the commission:
    • Forfeited the conditional use permit and development plan for the Aqua Slide, 911 Matt Down Lane.
    Mark Shriwise, director of planning, zoning and environmental health, said Aqua Slide owner Rene Rojas no longer owned the property and the new owner wanted to dispose of the slide and turn the property into a horse pasture.
    County regulations say that a conditional use permit and development plan for a property will be forfeited if a specific use for that property ceases to exist for at least six months.
    • Approved a special events permit for the Dodge City Downs quarter-horse track, whose owner wants to provide live music for the track's seventh anniversary celebration from 3 to 11 p.m. Aug. 17.
    If the original date is rained out, the celebration will take place from 3 to 11 p.m. Aug. 24.
       
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.