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Washington and Beaufort County seniors are once again proving they have the energy and gumption to stand up for what they believe in. This time, they are working toward removing a city imposed membership fee for county residents who wish to use the Grace Martin Harwell Senior Center in downtown Washington. 

Representatives on behalf of the Grace Martin Harwell Senior Center (GMHSC) attended both city council and county commissioners meetings on Monday, Aug. 5 to petition leadership to either change or abandon membership fees for non-city residents. 

Washington city council, as part of its 2024-2025 annual fiscal budget, approved an exclusive fee for non-city residents who wished to be members of GMHSC which was an “unpleasant surprise” to many non-city residents, Gail Breed, of Washington, told county commissioners. Seniors were unaware of the fee until after the budget passed. They were notified of the fee via a poster at the center, she said. 

The fee was broken down into three different payment options – $175 per year, $50 quarterly, or $20 per month. 

The effective date for the new fee was July 1, 2024; however, after receiving complaints from seniors, the city pushed the effective date back to Aug. 5 and changed the fee structure to: 

• $250 family rate for husband/wife/adult child all age 55+ residing in the same household (can only be paid yearly)
• $175 for an individual (paid yearly)
• $50 for an individual (paid quarterly)
• $20 for an individual (paid monthly)
• $5 for a daily rate (purchased in a punch card of $20 for 4 visits) 

A ten percent discount on the family and individual rates was offered to military veterans. Any resident over the age of 55 who fell below the federal poverty line could attend for free with proof of income. 

Breed said half of GMHSC’s county members turned around and walked out of the center as soon as they read a poster announcing the new fee. Of GMHSC’s 2,200 total members, approximately 1,300 of them are county residents which means about 900 members are City of Washington residents. Most members walked out, because they felt the cost was exorbitant. 

“The initial thought was the city was looking for a way to repurpose the center. Everybody was asking, ‘is this a museum fight all over again,’” Breed said referring to last summer when GMHSC members expressed their disapproval of the City of Washington using a portion of the Peterson Building, where GMHSC resides, for storage of historical artifacts that would be displayed in a museum dedicated to Washington’s history. 

“Seniors don’t want to pay any fees,” she told commissioners. They want to continue paying through their taxes. 

Breed petitioned county commissioners for $10,000 to $11,000 to add to the senior center’s operational budget. Beaufort County, at the City of Washington’s request, gives $20,000 to the city for GMHSC’s budget. One could argue that county seniors help pay the center’s budget through their taxes much like city residents who help pay GMHSC’s budget through property taxes. 

Washington City Manager Jonathan Russell explained that city residents pay property taxes which fund Washington’s Parks and Recreation Department. The senior center is a Washington Parks and Recreation facility; therefore, its budget is included in the Parks and Recreation Department budget. In an interview with the Daily News, Russell said the fee was created in an attempt to achieve an “equitable” balance between how much city and county residents contribute. 

County Commissioners Randy Walker and John Rebholz were concerned about giving the senior center more money, because it is not a guarantee if the City of Washington will drop the membership fee. 

County Commissioners did not take a vote on whether to give more funding to the senior center. Instead, Chairman Frankie Waters suggested county and city leadership have a meeting to discuss funding. 

As Breed spoke with county commissioners, Christine Hall, a Washington resident, spoke with city council members during the public comment period of their meeting. 

Hall – and Breed – suggested an annual tax exempt campaign where membership fees would be tax exempt. Funds collected from the campaign would go toward operating expenses at GMHSC or projects focused on the senior population, they said. 

Judy Jennette, a former Washington city council member and mayor, shared with council on Monday that “within one week of the announced fee implementation date, the line dancers, the book club, the quilters, the mahjong players, the card players had already packed up and moved to a more welcoming place.” Jennette became a member of the senior center on July 1. She is a Beaufort County resident and lives on Old Bath Highway. 

City council did not vote on whether to change or remove the fee structure.