By Megan Wehring
BUDA – The Task Force on Aging (TFOA) in Buda named Jeff Kaufmann as chairman, Rob Faubion and Rona Walton as secretary. The officer terms run until May 2023.
Other TFOA members include Linda Burton, John Byous, Norma Williams and new member Shar-Day Edmond.
The TFOA was established as an ad-hoc committee in response to a community survey to help prioritize critical issues and needs of older residents and their families. The survey identified the need for a resource hub, additional transportation resources, volunteer opportunities and program opportunities to enhance culture, learning and intergenerational relationships.
In 2017, the Buda City Council appointed members to the Task Force, which now meets on the third Monday of each month at 5:15 p.m. at City Hall.
Kaufmann recently served as the vice chair of the TFOA and heads up the initiative for Buda to receive the AARP Age-Friendly City designation, according to a news release. Kaufmann retired in 2020 after 44 years in Texas State government. He served as a senior manager with statewide programs serving people who are aging and/or have disabilities. He managed policy development, strategic planning, service delivery and infrastructure. He has lived and been active in the city of Buda since 1984.
As the new TFOA chair, Kaufmann said he plans to continue to lead the Age-Friendly City project by calling for Community Partners to join and help with the initiative. Age-friendly communities encourage and benefit from diverse citizen engagement by including residents in a process to identify the community’s needs and develop and implement an action plan to address those needs.
The Task Force on Aging has accepted Aging is Cool, Age of Central Texas, AARP Texas, Alzheimer’s Association of Texas, Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area and the Buda United Methodist Church Food Pantry into its Community Partners program.
The Task Force and its community partners will spend the next several months conducting a baseline assessment of the needs of older adults. Then, they will develop and deliver to the Buda City Council a three-year plan to address the identified needs and tools to measure progress.
Community partners are defined as older residents, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), boards, commissions, businesses and other community members who want a mutually beneficial relationship with the TFOA to make Buda more livable and age-friendly. Those interested in becoming a Community Partner can find information, criteria and an application on the City of Buda website under Task Force on Aging.
“There is much work to do but with the help of Community Partners, I believe we will be successful,” Kaufmann said in a news release.
The TFOA is interested in forming partnerships that align with its mission, goals and objectives to build a community where people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds have access to services that support Aging in Community.
