Senior Millage Services
Senior Services
Senior Citizen Millage
A number of resources and services are available to the aged and aging population of Mason County to help them age well as their needs evolve over time, some of which are funded in whole or in part by the Mason County senior citizen millage that voters first approved August 15, 1988, and then continued to support. The current levy is not to exceed the maximum assessment of .2979 of a mill, and the funds generated are used to operate senior citizen centers and programs. The six-year millage was overwhelmingly approved by 76 percent of the voters in 2018; therefore, the Mason County Board of Commissioners, in its discretion, could take action to place another senior citizen millage proposal renewal on the ballot in 2024.
Senior Centers
The four senior centers in Mason County are historically the primary recipients of senior-millage monies. Three of them were established long before the millage was enacted, and as such they, along with the fourth, founded in May 1988, are each owned and operated by different governing bodies. They are the result of grassroots efforts led by community-minded individuals who had the foresight to realize that social centers specifically tailored for educating, engaging, and enriching citizens of advancing age are valuable community assets that stave off isolation, depression, cognitive decline, nutrition shortfalls, and compromised mobility.
All the centers foster community spirit and embody a rich evolutionary history: they each originated to meet the needs of the differing demographic populations found in diverse geographic locations. In other words, one size does not fit all, and Mason County is unique in its commitment to respect and respond to the needs and interests of all of its older citizens, whether they reside in its robust and populous county seat or along the shoreline; within its central agricultural belt or the bustling hub it encircles; clustered in stalwart and neighborly villages at its perimeters; or here and there scattered throughout the rustic landscape of its outlying rural and wooded areas.
The senior centers are welcoming community gathering spaces for persons 50 years of age and older. There are no county residential requirements for admittance as long as, if space is limited, all seniors who do reside in Mason County who wish to attend an event or participate in an activity can be accommodated. Mason County seniors, no matter their address or residential geographic proximity to a particular center’s location, enjoy access to all events and activities hosted by any of the four area centers:
- Ludington Area Senior Center (est. 1972)
308 South Rowe Street
Ludington, MI 49431
Official Website: ludingtonseniorcenter.org
City of Ludington Department Webpage: - Scottville Area Senior Center (est. 1973)
140 South Main Street
Scottville, MI 49454
231-757-4705
Official Website: scottvilleareaseniorcenter.com - Tallman Lake Senior Center (est. 1979)
6765 East Marshall Road
Fountain, MI 49410
231-757-3306
Official Website: tallmanseniorcenter.org - Free Soil Area Senior Center (est. 1988)
8480 North Democrat
Free Soil, MI 49411
231-464-6789
Oversight of Senior-Millage Expenditures
Each senior center submits an annual request for funding to the Finance, Personnel, and Rules Committee (FPRC) of the Mason County Board of Commissioners. After the FPRC reviews the requests in open discussion with the directors, a recommendation is made for approval by the full board. Each center subsequently provides quarterly financial and program reports to the FPRC.
Senior Services Coordinator
Susan Evans, Senior Services Coordinator
Mason County Airport
5300 West US-10
Ludington, MI 49431
Ph: 231-316-6523
Email: sevans@masoncounty.net
Last Updated 11/07/2023