Budget cuts shouldn't affect Agency on Aging

The Flathead County Agency on Aging shouldn’t have to reduce services despite sequestration cuts by the federal government, agency Director Lisa Sheppard said.

The mandated federal cuts will take $16,355 away from the Agency on Aging’s budget for the remainder of the fiscal year that ends June 30.

“It appears that AOA has enough of a fund balance to absorb that,” Sheppard told the county commissioners during a staff report last week.

The proposed $666,967 Agency on Aging budget for the 2014 fiscal year that begins July 1 includes a potential 8.2 percent cut in federal funding, but the state has advised that its funding levels will remain the same or possibly increase, she noted.

“Preliminarily it appears in fiscal year 2014 we’ll gain enough in increased state funding to offset the federal cuts,” Sheppard said.

The state funding scenario is contingent on Gov. Steve Bullock signing the state budget bill.