The Leelanau County Commission on Aging advisory board held a special joint meeting with the county Board of Commissioners on Monday afternoon to discuss a proposed budget for 2008.

During the meeting, Commission on Aging director Rosie Steffens outlined a draft budget that balances $592,448 in expected revenues with a $592,163 spending plan.

The largest portion of Commission on Aging revenues comes from an extra 0.275-mill levy Leelanau County voters approved in August 2002. Under the Headlee “rollback” amendment to the State Constitution, the levy will be reduced to 0.241 mills in 2008 and bring in an estimated $509,729 in revenues.

Steffens noted that before the millage was approved, the list of services provided by the commission was much smaller, based on a $35,769 annual budget in 2002.

“Every year since the millage was approved, we’ve added programs slowly and surely,” Steffens said.

Current year funding levels for programs added since 2002 include some $16,000 for a “personal care” program for 15 clients; $54,600 for a “respite care” program; $100,457 for a “homemaker” program serving 115 clients; $26,000 for a “senior dining” program serving 233 clients; and $56,750 for general “information and assistance” to seniors – among many other programs.

Steffens said the commission will likely seek renewal of the 0.275 mill levy in the August 2008 Primary.

She said that renewal of the millage by voters would likely allow the commission to add a “Guardian Alert 9-1-1” program and a “Basic Dental Program” for seniors to the commission’s growing list of services.