Over the last few months, and in preparation for likely budgetary cuts to programming, officials with the Pennyrile Area Development District and associated elected officials have been in coordination — looking to find solutions for a potential loss in home-delivered meals and other similar services.
In an attempt to solve the coming problem by divvying up cost and seeking competition, board members approved a series of two-year request-for-proposal bids during Monday afternoon’s PeADD meeting in Hopkinsville.
This secured key vendors for critical amenities typically made possible through the Department of Aging and Independent Living, which helps those 60-and-up across the Commonwealth, and will be effective July 1.
Amanda Stokes, director of PeADD’s aging and independent living division, confirmed:
+ In-home services had three bidders, with Pennyrile Allied Community Services, or PACS, receiving the nod at $36.40/hour.
+ Senior center services had one bid, with PACS receiving the recommendation at $8.91 per congregate meal, a rise of 1.6%.
+ PACS also earned recommendations for hot/daily home delivered meals, as well as transportation services, but were also the only bidders for those jobs.
+ Non-traditional meals, a new service, earned one bid from Mom’s Meals, at $8.81 per unit.
+ And legal services went to Kentucky Legal Aid at $50/hour, at no rate increase.
Trigg County Judge-Executive Stan Humphries offered his thanks for the breakdown, which not only highlighted the overall cost of assisting the nine-county’s senior population, but also painted a bigger picture of the potential shortfalls ahead — and how to possibly meet them at the local level, should the biennium budget theoretically miss the mark again.
Hopkins County Judge-Executive Jack Whitfield, meanwhile, said it was “concerning” and “disappointing” that another vendor didn’t offer up a bid for hot home-delivered meals.
PeADD Executive Director Jason Vincent re-affirmed that conversations with state DAIL officials started more than two weeks ago, in regard to what the 2027-2029 budget actually looks like for the Commonwealth’s ADDs.
Back in September and October 2025, about $9.1 million was unlocked from the previous biennium budget so this last cut in services could be avoided, and Vincent confirmed that PeADD received the second-highest amount in the state from that tranche.
That $9.1 million safety net, Vincent added, will not be there this time around.
The one saving grace, Vincent said, is that six months ago, officials had about a week or two to make some sort of preparations.
Now, there’s more time to bridge the gap.
AAAIL WAITING LIST, AS OF MAY 1
Caldwell: 4 Home Delivered Meals, 2 Homemaking, 3 Personal Care
Christian: 51 Home Delivered Meals, 101 Homemaking, 23 Personal Care
Crittenden: 0 Home Delivered Meals, 5 Homemaking, 3 Personal Care
Hopkins: 27 Home Delivered Meals, 57 Homemaking, 1 Personal Care
Livingston: 1 Home Delivered Meals, 9 Homemaking, 3 Personal Care
Lyon: 2 Home Delivered Meals, 5 Homemaking, 3 Personal Care
Muhlenberg: 29 Home Delivered Meals, 36 Homemaking, 6 Personal Care
Todd: 13 Home Delivered Meals, 17 Homemaking, 2 Personal Care
Trigg: 14 Home Delivered Meals, 27 Homemaking, 3 Personal Care
FULL CONVERSATION:
