The Mississippi Council on Aging (COA) was established to administer all federal programs relating to the elderly within the state which are not the responsibility of another agency. An advisory council, whose members were all appointed by the Governor, was created to assist the staff in studying the status of the state’s elderly and providing input into new programs. Funds for the various programs were provided mainly from federal sources; state funds accounted for roughly 4 percent of the current operating budget.
The major emphasis of this report was the Title VII nutrition program that provided a noon meal five days a week to some 8,700 citizens aged sixty or older. The COA contracted with ten area agencies on aging (AAAs) for local administration of the programs. The geographical areas of these ten AAAs corresponded to the ten planning and development districts (PDDs) in the state. Thus, the PDDs were generally the agencies that administered the nutrition program in the field.
One area explored in this review was food service contracts. Although the majority of AAAs had elected to come under a statewide contract secured by COA, a few AAAs had not done so because they were able to secure more economical contracts on their own. PEER investigated charges that these AAAs were forced to come under the statewide food service contract. Among other problems, PEER noted that the statewide contract entered into by COA on behalf of the AAAs had not always been awarded to the lowest and best bidder; that the statewide contract then in effect contained provisions which worked to the financial advantage of Mississippi Valley Food Services (MVFS), a vendor toward which COA staff and certain council members had exhibited a marked prejudice for over the years; and that the COA staff established a list of equipment specifications for food heating containers that was tailor-made to fit the type of heating system used by MVFS.
The important relationship between COA and the PDDs, who administer the program in the field, was also explored. PEER found that the COA staff had led the council to believe that only AAAs could contract separately for food services, causing the council to deny the City of Jackson (part of the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District) and Northeast Mississippi Elderly Services their right to sign their own food service contracts in 1978. PEER also noted district favoritism emanating from the COA as well as conflicting and inconsistent application of program regulations by COA staff. The COA staff encouraged the idea of dropping all meal contracts with the PDDs and instead establishing private nonprofit corporations with which the COA would contract. This would eliminate all local input into program selection and delivery and make COA immune from local criticism of program administration.
Finally, evidence of extensive political action relating to virtually every aspect of COA activity was apparent throughout this investigation. Close associates of the Governor had been and were at the time on the COA staff, and had engaged, while on the job, in activities not related to their job duties which were often of a purely political nature. The Governor had removed and appointed council members at his discretion, even though they were supposed to serve for his entire term of office. Many of the current council members did not represent, or were not the agency selected representative for, those agencies specified in the Code. In addition, several nutrition sites had been used for political purposes such as making speeches, signing petitions, and having political picnics.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.