Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein on Wednesday said he felt that the Area Agency on Aging advisory board should have better handled its process and recommendation to reduce the hours at the county’s senior centers.

AAA on May 19 voted to recommend a plan that would limit the hours of operations at several of the centers.

Under the plan, the Butler and Cranberry Township centers would remain open five days a week; the Chicora, Evans City, Mars and Slippery Rock centers would be open three days a week instead of five; and the Mount Chestnut and Winfield Township centers would stay open two days a week.

However, the county could provide meals at West Sunbury and Zelienople while the West Sunbury Presbyterian Church would operate the one center. And, it’s possible a cooperative agreement could be made with the Passavant Community Senior Living Community to operate the Zelienople center.

Beth Herold, AAA administrator, said at the time that the proposal could save up to $80,000.

At Wednesday’s county commissioners meeting, Eckstein went over the AAA advisory board’s meeting minutes for the past several months.

He said for several months, the board did not have any meetings.

“This issue was handled very badly from its inception,” Eckstein said.

He said that Herold said during AAA’s January meeting that AAA was considering opening a center at the Clearview Mall and closing all of the others except for the Cranberry Township center. Eckstein also said that the minutes indicated a nonpublic meeting where closing centers was discussed.

County solicitor Mike English said that he has no knowledge of what Eckstein was referring to. However, he said under the state Sunshine Law, which governs public meetings, some types of meetings do not have to be public.

Eckstein said that the seniors needed to be involved in the process.

He also said that he believes that the board did not follow proper procedures laid out by Roberts Rules of Order when it voted.

“I think they have an obligation to revote,” Eckstein said.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, disagreed, saying that he feels the vote was taken properly.

McCarrier, when asked in an interview if he had any opinion of AAA’s recommendation, said AAA made its recommendation and said he could not offer any further opinion. He said he did not know when the subject could be voted on by the commissioners, saying that AAA will need to present the plan to the board first.

During public comment, Kathy Kloock of Butler Township said that the discussion about the centers initially seemed to be about attendance. However, she said it appeared at the last AAA meeting to be about the cost of the centers.

“When did that change?” Kloock said.

Peggy Abersold, Eckstein’s administrative assistant, said AAA’s 2012-2016 plan says that its goal is to enhance seniors’ lives. She asked how reducing hours is helping seniors.