Viewpoint: Missoula Aging Services needs funding provided by levy

Everyone knows Missoula County is growing. We’re also growing older.

From 2010 to 2019, the population of older adults in Missoula County grew 40% — four times that of the overall population. The population of those age 75 and older has grown 22% during this same time. Yet county funding to Missoula Aging Services has remained at a flat $350,000 per year for the past 15 years, with no adjustment for inflation or population growth.

The Missoula Aging Services Levy will replace this flat funding with a permanent 4-mill levy that will better allow the agency to keep pace with the needs of our aging population. Approving the levy will help sustain programs such as Meals on Wheels, resources for family members caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and visits to local nursing homes to check on people’s care.

Please vote in support of the levy to ensure that these critical services keep pace with the need for them.