By Matthew Avitabile
COBLESKILL - The Schoharie County Senior Council, the parent organization of the Gathering Place, informed Schoharie County of several major cutbacks this week.
In a letter dated Aug. 25, Executive Director Kim Witkowski informed some but not all of the Town Supervisors as well as other officials that the Senior Council is issuing a 30-day notice of termination of its Public Transportation and Medicaid Services, which would take place Oct. 1, 2025.
Witkowski stated that "For nearly 40 years, the Senior Council has carried the significant financial and operational responsibilities of providing these County services. Despite our commitment, it has become impossible for our organization to sustain this partnership. Professional advisors, including our auditing firm and financial consultant, have confirmed that continuing these contracts places an unsustainable financial burden on our organization and threatens our mission-driven operations.”
The program was originally conceived as a means to provide services to seniors while providing benefits for employees, Senior Council Board of Directors President and former Richmondville Town Supervisor Betsy Bernocco said last year. The county had previously taken on many of these responsibilities. These programs include senior transportation and Meals on Wheels.
Following our article on the Gathering Place and Senior Council earlier this year, the County created a contingency contract in case of lapse of service.
Witkowski’s letter said that “The current arrangements are far beyond the Senior Council's responsibilities and have historically been a one-sided partnership. The extreme costs, liabilities, and administrative requirements associated with these contracts are no longer compatible with our mission of serving the aging population. Continuing to provide these services would compromise our ability to fulfill our core purpose.”
The Senior Council derives an administrative fee which is utilized in large part to cover the salary of Executive Director Kim Witkowski. The same letter also notified the county that the Senior Council would increase their administrative fee "to 25% to reflect the true costs of providing HR, accounting, and operational oversight for these services. If this adjustment is not acceptable, the Senior Council will terminate the Office for the Aging contract as of January 1, 2026."
This would end the Senior Council’s role in the popular Meals on Wheels program.
“The Senior Council has upheld County services for decades at significant financial and operational risk. We can no longer carry these burdens and must prioritize sustainability and mission alignment to continue serving our community effectively,” the letter read.
Despite the ending of the contract, the county is making moves to keep the programs alive.
Schoharie County Board of Supervisors Chair and Conesville Town Supervisor Bill Federice said, “Considering the financial situation now acknowledged by the Senior Council, the decision by the Council to discontinue public transportation, medical appointment transportation, and Meals on Wheels services does not come as a surprise.”
“The County has already formed a team headed by the County Administrator [Bryan Best] with the affected department heads and staff to assess the options available with the intent of providing these vital services with little or no interruption to the public.”
“Continued operation is especially important to our senior community of whom many are dependent on as their sole source of transportation,” he added.
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