Ken Runion on Community Caregivers Funding |
Ken Runion really doesn't understand what Mark Grimm's and Warren Redlich's complaint is on this issue. The Community Caregivers is a not-for-profit corporation which provides volunteer services to seniors. Town funding for this group is based on a fee for service rendered to town residents. In November 2008, Ken Runion had a concern that the town was not doing enough to reach our home bound seniors, and that the town was not receiving enough statistical information from the Caregivers on the services provided directly to Guilderland seniors and the cost thereof.
The day after the budget was adopted, Ken Runion spoke to the Executive Director of Community Caregivers about funding. Based upon his conversation with Diane Cameron, Executive Director of Community Caregivers, he realized that what was really needed was more accountability from her agency. The town needed more information on the actual services being provided by Community Caregivers that are not being provided by the town for our senior population. Diane Cameron and Ken Runion discussed statistical information and forms she would provide to the town of Guilderland.
During November 2008, not February 2009 as alleged by Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich, Ken Runion assured the Community Caregivers that the town would continue its arrangement with the agency. This was not the result of public pressure as alleged by Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich. It was the result of mutual cooperation between the town and the Caregivers, due to the services they can provide that the town is incapable of providing at a reasonable cost.
In a recent article in the Altamont Enterprise, Diane Cameron is quoted as saying that she had never been afraid the Caregivers would lose its funding. "I have to credit Ken with that," she said. "He really gets it; he gets the needs of the seniors."
Interestingly, the proposed budget for 2009 was delivered to Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich the last week in September, 2008. Neither Mark Grimm nor Warren Redlich raised any issues with respect to the funding of the Community Caregivers until the 2009 budget hearing held on November 6, 2008. Mark Grimm advised the Board that evening that his spouse was a volunteer with the organization and he requested that their funding be increased by 3%. At that late date, it was too late to modify the budget without holding an additional public hearing. The Caregivers money was available in a different contractual line within the budget, but Mark Grimm either didn't understand, was confused or didn't take the time to ask. This confusion just shows that if Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich would start doing the job they were elected to do, rather than attacking public officials, misunderstandings could be averted.
|
