Twice in recent years Lawrence County voters said they are not willing to pay more tax dollars to continue or expand senior citizens services in the county.

The first major consequence of this decision materialized late last month when the long-standing Meals on Wheels program was discontinued, leaving more than 300 senior citizens looking elsewhere for much-needed food delivery.

This is truly a sad day because the loss of this program and the potential problems some of our seniors may face down the road as other services may have to be cut because of funding losses and expense increases.

The fiscal challenges have cast a long shadow over the future of the two senior centers, one in Sybene and the other in Ironton.

Voters have to do what they think is right, but this is truly a case where a few extra pennies a month would have added up to a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

No one can fault the Ironton- Lawrence County Community Action Organization for stopping the Meals on Wheels program because it is very costly and benefits a relatively small number of people. At between $300,000 and $400,000 per year, this is a significant expense for a program only helping a few hundred.

Still, it hurts to know that some Lawrence County senior citizens will be hurting because of this.

The CAO will have to tighten its belt and do its best to provide as many services as possible.

Hopefully, seeing these changes will change voters’ minds.