Millage to support seniors in Ottawa County is eligible for renewal

OTTAWA COUNTY — A tax earmarked for senior programs in the Tri-Cities — Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg — is up for renewal on Aug. 6.

The North Ottawa County Council on Aging’s millage renewal proposal calls for 0.2500 mills ($0.2500 per $1,000 of taxable value) for 10 years, from 2025 through 2034. The funding supports a large portion of the operating budget of the Grand Haven-based Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging, which provides a variety of services and programming to seniors.

Officials say the tax is expected to generate more than $550,000 upon renewal. The village and township of Spring Lake are expected to receive $287,418, the city of Grand Haven $210,040 and Ferrysburg $59,477 in 2025.

The money will fund direct care services that Four Pointes provides to seniors, such as home visits by caregivers. These include housekeeping, bathing, personal care, grocery shopping, companionship and meal preparation.

The current millage expires with the 2024 levy. It was reduced from .2500 mills to .2282 mills because of required Headlee Amendment millage rollbacks, so the ballot measure would restore the millage to the original amount voters approved to support seniors. Headlee requires local governments to reduce a millage when annual growth in existing real estate exceeds inflation.

The senior citizens’ organization has 850 members who use various services.

Last year, 184 seniors were helped through a case coordination program that sends social workers to seniors’ homes to set up services so they can continue to live independently.

The organization also helps cover costs for medications, dental care, disability expenses such as installing a driveway on a home or purchasing hearing aids.

Four Pointes also runs a volunteer driver program, where seniors can have a volunteer pick them up from their home and take them to a doctor’s appointment, whether that’s locally or in Grand Rapids or Muskegon. Last year, 804 rides were provided to 91 seniors in the community.

“We typically provide the safety net for low- to moderate-income seniors — those who wouldn’t be able to afford services if we weren’t there,” said Kim Kroll, Four Pointes CEO.

Seniors can take fitness classes, educational programs and day trips through the Grand Haven Center. There is also a Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program that helps seniors navigate federal programs.

Kroll also said the staff is committed to serving the ever-changing needs of the senior community, such as affordable housing just for seniors.

“The millage dollars are extremely important,” Kroll said. “There’s not a lot of grant money out there. It would be devastating to our seniors in our community, especially those who participate in our programming and all of our support programs, if the millage were not passed.”

That millage, along with another millage through Grand Haven Township that is scheduled for renewal in 2025, makes up at least 75 percent of Four Pointes’ budget. The rest comes from grants and donations, Kroll said.

Kroll explains that an organization with a fixed, recurring annual income can respond more flexibly to needs.

“It allows us to plan,” she said. “It allows us to look at the needs of our seniors and how they’re changing and develop new programming and new support systems to help them.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Tri-Cities area and we continue to look at ways that we can continue to serve our seniors in the community and what we can do to continue to grow. We have a dedicated staff here who believe deeply in our mission and they absolutely love what they do.”

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