Commissioners Provide Senior Levy Funding Data to Address Claims of Cuts 

The Knox County Commissioners have received reports that misinformation surrounding the distribution of Senior Levy funds has been spreading in the eastern part of Knox County. Claims that levy funding has been cut have been made despite funding levels remaining the same as in prior years. Seniors play a vital role in our community, and the Commissioners wish to address these concerning reports with full transparency. 

The Senior Levy was created to provide supplemental funding for organizations that serve Knox County’s seniors. Funding generated by the property tax levy is collected by county government each year, then distributed by the Commissioners. Any non-profit entity in the county that serves seniors can apply for Senior Levy monies. All recipient entities are reviewed annually to ensure that levy funds are being properly utilized. 

Anticipated revenue for the 2022 Senior Levy is $1,181,121. All available funds were distributed between eight organizations: 

Centerburg Social Services Fredericktown Senior Activity Center Knox County Department of Job and Family Services Sanctuary Community Action Sew Special Network Center of Hope Task Force for Older Adults The Station Break 

As a part of the application process, all eight awardees provided a breakdown of their expected expenses and a total amount that they were requesting from the levy. Because the overall requested amount, totaling in at $1,565,334, was greater than what was available for distribution, the Commissioners determined that each group should receive the same amount of funding that they had received in 2021. Fredericktown Senior Activity Center was the sole exception; their last application had been in 2020, so they received the same 2020 amount for 2022. 

In response to the rising needs of levy money recipients, the Commissioners recently began the process of establishing a Senior Levy Advisory Committee to further aid in reviewing requests. The committee, made up of five members, will ensure that funding is directed to groups with the greatest need and will 

assist in reviewing recipient organizations’ use of levy monies. 

For anyone interested in more information, the Commissioners have provided a breakdown of 2022’s Senior Levy on their website, detailing the requests of awarded organizations. The levy application itself can also be found there.