PUEBLO, Colo. ' Pueblo County commissioners on June 5 approved an intergovernmental agreement between the Colorado Department of Human Services and the county's Area Agency on Aging to distribute Older Americans Act and Older Colorado's Act funds for fiscal year 2026.

Heather Cornett, who presented the item, told commissioners the contract covers services such as transportation, in-home services, legal assistance, congregate and home-delivered meals, caregiver services, ombudsman services and elder-abuse prevention. "It is the intent of the parties to fulfill the mandate of the Older Americans Act and Older Colorado's Act to develop and implement comprehensive and coordinated systems to ensure maximum independence and dignity for older adults within our area," Cornett said.

Cornett said the IGA represents $1,890,000 in state funding anticipated for FY2026. She noted that Pueblo County does not have a local match on the state funds and that state-level accounting may be used to meet federal matching requirements. "The Older Americans Act is still unauthorized at the federal level," Cornett said, and the state has sometimes held back 25% of federal funds pending reauthorization. She added that even if 100% of funds arrive the total would still be about $46,000 less than last year, and staff expect some reductions in service volumes as a result.

Commissioners approved the agreement by voice vote. Cornett said the state sets the contract now and that the remaining 25% of federal funding, when withheld, has typically been delivered later in the fiscal year: "The other 25%, we should know around this time next year, I know, is how we received it the years prior."

The IGA does not obligate additional county general funds, but Cornett warned that if federal reauthorization fails, many services could be cut drastically because state funding is a small percentage compared with federal funding. No motion to amend or add local matching funds was taken at the meeting.