The Butler County commissioners will vote Wednesday on a new contract to manage the county’s senior centers.

Billie Jo Edwards, fiscal operations officer for the Area Agency on Aging, at Monday’s commissioner meeting asked for the county to renew its contract with PCN Senior Center Management to run the county’s senior centers.

The contract runs from July 1 to June 30, 2016, and the total amount would be $305,524. Edwards said this is nearly $94,000 less than the current contract, and that no county money is involved.

The AAA advisory board in May made a recommendation to modify the operations of the county’s senior centers.

Under the plan, the Butler and Cranberry Township centers would remain open five days a week; the Chicora, Evans City, Mars and Slippery Rock centers would be open three days a week instead of five; and the Mount Chestnut and Winfield Township centers would stay open two days a week.

However, the county could provide meals at West Sunbury and Zelienople while the West Sunbury Presbyterian Church would operate the one center. And it’s possible a cooperative agreement could be made with the Passavant Community Senior Living Community to operate the Zelienople center.

The contract reflects these changes.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein asked for the vote to be tabled until AAA administrator Beth Herold could talk with the commissioners. Edwards said that Herold is off this week.

Eckstein said Herold should explain why it appears there will be a 25 percent cut in center operations.

With the decreased cost in the contract, Edwards said the centers would not have to do fundraising for center operations. Additionally, despite the reduced hours, she said more programs will be offered to broaden the base of attendees.

Eckstein said the cutbacks AAA recommended are “drastic.”

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said the hours would be cut back, but more programs would be added.

“Which will make them (the centers) more effective,” McCarrier said.

Joyce Ainsworth, director of human services, noted AAA has received flat funding from the state for the past 10 years.

“That’s a cost,” Ainsworth said.

She said Herold works hard to keep the AAA budget on track.

Eckstein asked why some hours are proposed to be cut. Edwards said it is to make the hours the centers are operational more even. Edwards noted that 88 percent of people who come to the centers come between one and three days per week.

Eckstein also expressed concern about the Zelienople center. Because AAA is in talks to have Passavant operate it, it was not in the contract with PCN.

Ainsworth said there are different ways to run the senior centers. One way is to have the county run them entirely. Another way, she said, is to have them managed by an outside group and have the county provide food.

Eckstein asked what was done to bring more seniors to the centers. Edwards said advertising and special events, among other things, were done.

Eckstein said he is concerned about the depression rate in seniors and seniors who lose their spouse getting left behind with reduced hours.

Ainsworth noted senior centers are only part of what AAA does, and said seniors with depression problems generally stay at home, so there is a strong need for services in the home.