Carroll County commissioners approve hiring for Senior Inclusion Program

The Carroll County Bureau of Aging and Disabilities has received the green light to hire a new employee to help with a program that serves older residents with intellectual and physical disabilities.

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners unanimously approved at their meeting May 30 the hiring of a compliance coordinator to ensure billing services associated with the Senior Inclusion Program align with Maryland Development Disabilities Administration requirements.

The annual salary for the new position is $97,893.94, which includes benefits, Celene Steckel, director of the county’s Department of Citizens Services, said. This position is funded through a state grant, so there is no cost to the county.

Citizens Services’ Bureau of Aging and Disabilities operates the Senior Inclusion Program, which since spring 1987 has offered daycare services to older intellectually disabled adults at the Westminster Senior and Community Center.

Rich Otto, community services supervisor with the county’s senior centers, told commissioners that he is handling all billing requirements, which involve a large amount of time and work.

District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein said because of the amount of work involved, a new position is needed. He added that since there’s no county financial match needed, the hiring “just makes sense.”

The program charges for services, so it generates its own revenue, Steckel said. In fiscal 2025 revenue is estimated at $780,000, she said.

The Bureau of Aging and Disabilities receives all funding for the program from the Maryland Department of Health, a county briefing paper states. The county holds the license to serve up to 25 adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.