By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Commission decided last year to cinch its wallet for funding requests to outside agencies. At Wednesday's meeting, the body put that ideal into action regarding matching funds for the SouthWest Kansas Area Agency on Aging (SWKAAA). County Director of Operations Matt Patzner presented the request to the commission.
"If you remember, at the time of the adoption of the 2023 budget, the decision was made to keep all outside agencies at their previous funding level," he said. "What was budgeted was $1,500."
SWKAAA had requested $1,650 this year, up from its usual $1,500. The funds which will be used as "seed dollars," are an equivalent match to the nearly $550,000 in services received by elderly and low-income families from Barton County.
SWKAAA is a planning, coordinating, and funding agency that serves the 28 counties in the southwest portion of the state, including Barton. The organization receives its funding from county, state, and federal programs. Fifty groups or businesses are listed as resources for Barton County on the SWKAAA website.