Oregon Department of Human Services officials are hoping to have the question of who will provide Area Agency on Aging services in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties answered by the end of January.  Public input meetings on the subject are currently being held, and DHS did grant a two-week extension of a deadline for local governments to decide if they want to provide the service to November 8.  Kristi Murphy of DHS says then the state will ask existing AAA’s contiguous to the five-county area if they want to take on the services, and if there is no interest then they would open it up to others.  Murphy noted the process is spelled out specifically in the federal Older Americans Act.  Mid-Columbia Council of Governments has administered the regional AAA, but is in the process of divesting itself of all of its service contracts.