"The best-case scenario would be additional funding," Bettis said. "But realizing that probably won't happen, we're just asking that they continue the same funding so we can provide services at the same level.
"With seniors, we're talking about people that, in some cases, are not able to advocate for themselves. So their story has to be told by someone else," she continued. "Unfortunately, it's a very sad story. And if we don't get funding, it's going to get sadder."
Meanwhile, the November election could have a financial impact on these services, as voters will decide whether local governments can assess a utility user's tax.
The tax is included in the monthly utility bill and is charged to residents and businesses for using electricity, natural gas, telephone and basic cable television. The city's utility user's tax rate is at 7.5 percent, while the county tax is 2.5 percent.
Even though the county's utility users tax is paid by businesses and residents in the county, city voters must also approve it. County and city residents pay only one utility tax.
Voters will they'll need to take a good look at their ballots, Adult and Aging Commission member Joseph Montoya said. The tax will be approved by voting "yes" on the county ballot or "no" on the city ballot.
"I've seen it before, but never with the confusion between the county measure and the city measure," Montoya said. "It's confusing enough going in, but when you add the confusion of the two measures, it's just a double whammy that's almost insurmountable."
The Adult and Aging Commission is not allowed to publicly endorse any political candidate or referendum. Montoya is looking for a way the commission can get basic, non-partisan information to the public to avoid further confusion concerning the utility tax.
After Montoya voiced his desire for the commission to distribute information about the vote, commissioner Nancy Rudolph expressed apprehension about the commission getting involved in a political issue. Chair Barney Donnelly said the commission would not take action without unanimous approval.
"As a commission, we can't tell the public, 'If this measure fails, you're going to lose these services -- A, B, C, D.' I can only do that as a private citizen," Montoya said. "We can't say, 'Vote to keep these services.' We can only say, 'Vote the way you want to vote, but if you let this tax fail, you're going to have services cut to the bone.' That's all we can do legally."
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a prominent opponent of the utility users tax throughout the state. On March 28, Jon Coupal, president of Sacramento-based group, announced the formation of the Tax Relief for Users of Electricity project.
"Consumers and ratepayers who are socked with higher rates should not have to endure the additional insult of higher taxes," Coupal said in a prepared statement. "City and county governments, we are putting you on notice that it is time to review your utility user tax rate and expeditiously lower or eliminate it so that you do not reap a windfall profit on the misery of utility rate payers."
Coupal said governments that fail to take action likely will become targets of the TRUE project.
"They can't politic for this vote, either," Montoya said of Coupal's non-profit group. "But they're being very clever in having their grassroots members do that politicking for them. They can't do it as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, but their membership can. They're trying to make sure this tax doesn't continue."
Montoya estimated that $16 million in county funding would be lost by a number of tax-supported services, including the Sheriff's Department, APS and IHSS, if the utility tax is voted down. "On top of a very depleted budget," he added.
"It's not going to break the taxpayer's back. It's going to break the county's back if they lose $16 million," Montoya said.
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