Mayor Slay Appoints Board to Oversee Senior Services Fund

ST. LOUIS -- Mayor Francis Slay has named seven members to serve on a newly-created board to manage tax dollars set aside to assist the City's senior citizens.

Established by the passage of Proposition S in November 2016, the Senior Services Fund is expected to generate about $2 million annually from a voter-approved property tax. The Fund will support needed services that allow older adults basic assistance to be able to age in place in their own homes, including nutrition, transportation, home repair and home modifications. The City of St. Louis joins 54 other counties in the State that have implemented a Senior Services Fund.

Proposition S resulted from an initiative first started by the Daughters of Charity in 2013, referred to as "Seniors Count," which also was supported by the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis, Incarnate Word Foundation, Missouri Foundation for Health, and Retirement Research Foundation. The Seniors Count initiative now has grown to a coalition of more than 120 organizations representing hospitals, businesses, social service providers, religious organizations and older adults.

Mayor Slay appointed the following members to the Board that will govern the distribution of the City's Senior Services Fund. These appointments were confirmed today by the Board of Aldermen:

• William Siedhoff, Chair
• Cynthia Crim, Vice-Chair
• Ann Bannes
• Chauncey (Skip) Batchelor
• Theresa Mayberry
• Sister Mary Ann Nestel
• Karl Wilson

"I want to thank these seven members who have volunteered to help ensure that our growing senior population receives the supports it deserves," Mayor Slay said. "Helping to identify any unmet needs of this vulnerable population will help strengthen families and neighborhoods in City of St. Louis by helping seniors to stay in their homes and communities longer and avoid being prematurely institutionalized."

The funds, generated by a property tax of 5-cents on every $100 of assessed value, will be collected during the current calendar year with funding becoming available for distribution beginning in January 2018. The Board will establish application procedures and a selection process to ensure that funds are quickly made available and directed solely to meet the needs of the growing population of seniors in the City of St. Louis.

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