SHELBURNE FALLS — After years of planning, the West County Senior Services District is nearing the finish line and will officially begin providing services to elderly residents of Ashfield, Buckland and Shelburne on July 1.

With the existing arrangement between the three towns dissolving, the power to manage the Senior Center in Shelburne Falls will be transferred to the new shared district, allowing for independence from the three towns and the ability to potentially expand.

The switch to this model received Town Meeting approval in May 2022 and was signed into law by former Gov. Charlie Baker on Jan. 5. As more details of the arrangement have been finalized, the Buckland, Shelburne and Ashfield selectboards have given additional approval in recent weeks.

Now, the West County Senior Services District’s Board of Managers — consisting of two residents from each of the three towns — can proceed with the final preparations to start the new district. These preparations include finalizing personnel policies, finding an accountant and preparing a budget for fiscal year 2026.

The West County Senior Services District has been brewing since 2017. Proponents have said that forming a district among Shelburne, Buckland and Ashfield will give the three-town consortium more leverage in securing state grants. It will also give the towns equal ownership and an equal voice in how elder services are run.

Instead of Shelburne serving as the lease-holder for the rented Senior Center in the Masonic building at 7 Main St., the appointed six-member Board of Managers is becoming the legal entity managing the facility and services.

As the West County Senior Services District’s Board of Managers prepares for the transition, members are looking at slightly higher operational costs. Early drafts of the FY26 budget put costs at around $87,000, an increase of $6,000 from the FY25 budget.

Senior Center Director Juli Moreno said the budget includes the district’s new costs, including budgeting software, paying an accountant and auditor, and insurance.

“With the town being our fiscal agent, they kinda did it for nothing, but going forward that won’t be an option,” Moreno explained. “We’re gonna have to pay an accounting firm independently.”

Senior services will still be financed by the towns, with the budget split evenly between the three communities. The Board of Managers is still working to finalize the budget, which will be presented to the three finance committees.

“This is our best estimate at the moment and we’re looking to refine it,” said Bob Dean, a member of the Buckland Finance Committee who has been helping the Board of Managers with the transition planning.

Board of Managers Chair Sylvia Smith said she’s been in contact with state legislators and she hopes they will consider the West County Senior Services District and its transition goals as they work on a budget for next year.

In addition to increasing access to grant funding, Smith said the switch will give the Board of Managers more freedom and independence from the three towns, such as the ability to legally own property. Smith said the board members dream of owning their own facility, which would allow for an expanded space to offer even more services to the region’s aging population.

The Senior Center currently offers numerous health and fitness classes, meal programs and transportation services. Smith said the services will not change when the district begins on July 1, but if the Board of Managers can secure a different facility, these services could expand. Purchasing any property would still need to be approved at Town Meetings in Ashfield, Buckland and Shelburne.

The Board of Managers still has plenty to do in the coming months to prepare for the change. Per the board’s transition plan, in the coming weeks and months, members will finalize and present the budget, interview treasurers and accountants, and write and adopt district bylaws.

“I joke we’re creating a town,” Moreno said.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.