Des Plaines' senior center campaigns for city funds

On-again, off-again city funding that may be needed to save the Frisbie Senior Center in Des Plaines appears likely to materialize in the end after a lobbying campaign that brought a couple dozen center proponents to Monday's city council meeting.

But at a time when the city is eliminating a dozen jobs and has cut more than $1 million from its proposed budget for next year, efforts to find a way to help the senior center bogged down in bitter comments between the mayor, various aldermen and the manager over the way budget discussions have been handled. In the end, two motions that would have paved the way to funding the center failed.

Despite the failed votes, there was broad support for helping the senior center. The matter will come up again at the Dec. 1 meeting.

The senior center has operated for 32 years without direct city funding, though its gotten some city services for free. It has relied on such sources as user fees, corporate gifts and grants to meet its budget, currently about $590,000 a year. Director Sharon Smith said the center serves 12,000 Des Plaines residents.

In recent years, the center has had less success getting other funding. About 15 months ago, officials began talks with the city and the park district. That led to a proposed agreement that called for the city to contribute $60,000 and the park district $30,000, Smith said.

"The senior center provides opportunities for seniors to lead joyous and meaningful lives," said Joseph Yi of Des Plaines, adding that other towns in the area spend as much as $400,000 supporting their senior centers.

The timing of this proposal turned out to be inauspicious, however.

In the first draft of the budget, city staff included $40,000 for the center. But in talks to cut the budget so no tax increase was needed for the general fund, the senior center was cut, along with other programs such as special events funding, and 12 jobs.

Smith said the senior center was counting on the city and park district support to help it win other funding. If the city won't fund the center, the park district might also back out, and outside groups will wonder why they should fund an agency that doesn't have local support, she said.

"We may have to fold all our services," she said.

Seniors mobilized to get funding restored, and most aldermen were supportive. Two, however, are on the senior center board and can't vote on the issue. Others are split over whether other budget decisions also should be reviewed, whether the budget should be cut more or should be cut less.

And there was resentment that two aldermen had met with the city manager and come up with a possible funding solution, with some other aldermen saying they hadn't been adequately informed of what was happening.