MILFORD — The seats filled early Wednesday night as dozens of seniors arrived at City Hall with a message for the Board of Aldermen: a flat budget isn't good enough.

One by one, they approached the microphone during the public comment portion of the city's budget hearing, describing a Senior Center bursting at the seams — classes that turn people away, a parking lot full by mid-morning, and a lunchroom where some members quietly take half their meal home for dinner.

A petition bearing 192 signatures was presented to the board, requesting a $90,000 increase to the city grant and $30,000 more for the senior nutrition program.

Mayor Rich Smith, addressing the crowd before public comment began, sought to correct what he called a misconception.

"From almost everybody I talked to, we talk about the budget, and they didn't realize that the proposed budget didn't cut a dime from the Senior Center — not one dime," Smith said. "It's exactly what we had last year."

Smith said he asked all nonprofits receiving city funding, including the Boys & Girls Club and Bridges, to work within last year's budget given fiscal constraints. He also noted the Senior Center has approximately $865,000 in an undesignated reserve account.

But speaker after speaker argued that holding funding flat during a period of inflation amounts to a de facto cut.

"Let's not kid ourselves," said one resident who moved to Milford four years ago partly because of the Senior Center's reputation. "With inflation, if you're standing still, you're slipping backward."

'She Chose to Eat'

The testimony painted a picture of a facility that has become essential infrastructure for Milford's aging population — and one straining under its own success.

One speaker described watching a fellow member deliberate over a $2 scarf in the center's gift shop before putting it back. The woman couldn't afford both the scarf and a $4 lunch.

"She chose to eat," the speaker said. "So please keep our prices low. We need more money."

A nursing faculty member who partners with the center for clinical training described it as "primary disease prevention at its best." Her students run a weekly blood pressure clinic and work with the Aaron Center, a day program for members with cognitive decline that helps keep dementia patients at home and out of costly memory care facilities.

"Socialization is the best predictor of health," she said. "For some members, this is their only socialization."

An 85-year-old member told the board she now gets her hair cut at the Senior Center for free because she can no longer afford the $50 she used to pay at a salon. The center's lunch program, she said, helps stretch her fixed income — which actually decreased this year after Medicare premium increases ate into her Social Security.

"Seniors are on a fixed income," she said. "We aren't going to get any more money."

Demand Outpacing Capacity

Several speakers described a center struggling to meet demand. Classes fill up and turn people away. The facility itself is showing wear, with one longtime member mentioning water dripping from the ceiling.

"We're a city now," said one speaker who has lived in Milford for more than 70 years. "We need to have a senior center that's comparable to other cities."

Another resident, who identified herself as a member for five years following multiple surgeries, said the exercise and Spanish classes have been vital to her recovery.

"People want to take classes. They can't get into them," she said. "Their insurance doesn't cover the Y. Their insurance doesn't cover some of the other health clubs. We need more money."

One speaker who recently moved from Greenwich said Milford's Senior Center was a deciding factor in choosing the city. She urged the board to consider the most vulnerable members — those living alone on tight fixed incomes.

"If you don't add more to their budget, you will hurt the most vulnerable," she said. "Not the ones that have money, but the ones that have very little."

Mayor Offers Partnership

Smith said his office would help the Senior Center with fundraising efforts and grant applications, noting that other nonprofits in the city actively pursue outside funding.

"More communication, more transparency is what we want," Smith said, inviting residents to an open house on May 18 where board and commission chairs will explain their work.

The budget hearing continues Thursday evening with the Board of Education presentation. The Board of Aldermen will ultimately vote on a final budget in the coming weeks.