The Independence Township Senior Center has its own buildings. The center has its own staff. The center runs its own programs.
However, the senior center is not an individual department within Independence Township like the DPW or building department ? it is a program (a subgroup) within the parks and recreation department. In many ways, the senior center and programming is handled like parks and recreation’s yearly sports leagues, while in other ways functioning completely differently within the township.
The fifth story of our series on the proposal for a new senior center and operational millage will look at the structure of the senior center within parks and recreation; and how this format affects the center’s operations and budgeting.

When Senior Center Director Margaret Bartos needs to file a purchase order, she does not send the request to the township finance office. Instead, she files the purchase request with the township’s parks and recreation department.
‘The money we spend is sent to an individual in the parks and recreation department, who then sends the paperwork on to the finance department,? explained Bartos. ‘Basically, we have to go through parks and rec to get the bills paid.?
Why does the senior center director have to go through another department in order to make a purchase? Because the Independence Township Senior Center is not a singular department with its own revenues, but really a division of parks and recreation. In fact, Bartos? immediate ‘boss? is Parks and Recreation Director Mike Turk.
The hierarchy between parks and recreation and the senior center is most evident during the annual budget planning.
According to Finance Director Sue Hendricks, she notifies Turk concerning how much money parks and recreation will receive from the township’s general fund for the upcoming year.
Turk then takes an initial budget request from Bartos for the senior center and incorporates that request into the budget for parks and recreation. This means the senior center’s budget is only one aspect of the parks and recreation budget, not a separate entity for township review.
According to Bartos, if cuts need to be made in parks and recreation, cuts need to be made in senior center programming since the two are combined.
The entire parks and recreation budget then goes to the township supervisor’s office, where final adjustments are made and the entire township budget is combined. At this point, the review process begins at the board level.
‘We have limited control over our budget and financing,? said Bartos. ‘We are 20 percent of parks and recreation’s expenses, but only about 10 percent of the revenues being generated. Our primary funding source is parks and recreation.?
Both Bartos and Hendricks confirmed that several expenditures, such as building maintenance or supply purchases, are sometimes interwoven with parks and recreation. Bartos added there are occasionally senior center building maintenance expenditures she never sees since the paperwork goes directly through parks and recreation.
‘It always surprises people when I tell them I don’t know how much repairs have cost on this building,? said Bartos. ‘I don’t always know because the bills don’t always go through me.?
Due to publication deadline, the Fourth of July holiday and vacation time, Mike Turk was unavailable for comment.

In addition to general fund money received through the parks and recreation department, the senior center also receives funding through Community Development Block Grants, donations, fees, grants and fund-raisers. In the sixth and final installment of the senior center and millage proposal series, The News will review the center’s budget, where the money is spent and how much is spent on staffing.