Social service cuts may force GA combining

AREA — A spike in General Assistance demand, and the threat of state social program cuts have led the town managers of Paris and Norway to suggest combining certain aspects of the General Assistance program.

On January 23, the Paris Board of Selectmen received a memo from Town Manager Phil Tarr outlining the concept, which he said could help to contain the costs of the program.

It would also create more workfare situations in the towns, suggested Tarr.

Tarr said that proposed state cuts to social welfare programs would cause even more people to seek out the program, which has seen a rise in demand over the past couple of years.

"We believe local programs will be negatively impacted as governments attempt to balance their budgets," said Tarr.

In Norway, $110,000 is budgeted for the program for the current fiscal year, a $15,000-increase over the previous year. In Paris, the amount budgeted is $51,175, and Tarr said that he has seen an increase in need.

Even in Oxford, where town leaders budget a relatively small amount for general assistance, need is growing.  Halfway through the fiscal year, the town has already spent $4,407 of the $6,000 budgeted for the year.

"One reason we are taking this approach is due to Norway's rapid growth in general assistance costs," said Tarr. "We too are experiencing growth in the program, albeit in a smaller way."

By state law, no municipality can deny a qualifying applicant general assistance funds; half of the program expenditures are reimbursed by the state.

Under the proposed agreement, said Tarr, the towns would co-manage the program. "For instance, Paris would manage the application process for both towns; Norway will manage the workfare program for each town."

Tarr said that this would also help to reduce fraudulent General Assistance claims.

"This approach will stem the flow of applicants who have been denied in one town from applying in the other town," he said. "It will close a loophole in the current system where it is possible for an applicant to use multiple addresses."

David MacLean, who oversees the General Assistance program for the state, said that this scenario does not happen.

"You can't go to one town, apply, and then if you don't like the answer, go to another town and apply," he said.

Regardless, Tarr said that, with one person processing all GA applications for the two towns, "total applicant familiarity emerges."

Tarr said that the combination would free up administrator time to make sure that workfare assignments were actually being done; "something that is a hit or miss situation today."