Council on Aging Details Fallout From Budget Cut
Council on Aging · Meeting of September 15, 2026
Halifax Council on Aging details how a budget cut gutted senior transportation. Director Darlene Regan told the board a $123,000 wage line covering van drivers was zeroed out after an April 28 Finance Committee review, cutting her own pay 40 percent and leaving the department with one part-time driver. "I didn't expect that we were going to get slammed down," Regan said, adding a Special Town Meeting later restored the funding, though she said she still hasn't received retroactive pay.
She cited roughly $164,000 sitting unused in a related GATRA account during the gap. Three van-driver candidates were set for interviews the next day. Regan also pushed back on the planned new senior center's design, questioning narrow doorways and a proposed $45-an-hour nurse's station, and reported a $50,000 state earmark for fiscal 2027 staffing.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,205 words
Source: the Council on Aging meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Halifax News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news