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Douglas County approves timeline to make Senior Resource Center a county department by Oct. 1, 2025
Summary
The County Commission approved a timeline to transition the Senior Resource Center into a Douglas County department, directing staff to proceed with lease and budget steps and noting an initial $250,000 estimate for 2025 costs.
The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners approved a timeline to transition the Senior Resource Center (SRC) into a county department, with a target effective date of Oct. 1, 2025.
Jill Jolliger, assistant county administrator, presented an updated memo and proposed timeline developed with SRC leadership and county staff. Megan Poindexter, executive director of the Senior Resource Center, told commissioners the SRC board voted in October to approve advancing a proposal for the organization to become a county department.
Poindexter said the SRC’s board and staff sought the transition because it would increase long-term capacity and stability for services to older adults across Douglas County. "The conversations have been really so positive," Poindexter said of county–SRC coordination, citing shared planning among staff and SRC leadership. She added that the SRC has expanded services during emergent needs, citing a 2024 example in which the agency rapidly increased Medicare counseling during plan changes.
Commissioners asked about service impacts, building lease arrangements, and financial details. County staff said the city is amenable to transferring the existing lease for the SRC facility to the county and that maintenance and custodial arrangements would largely continue as currently arranged. Staff confirmed the transition does not require a tax increase for 2025; the board had already budgeted an estimated $250,000 for transition-related costs in the 2025 estimates and staff will include full department budgeting for 2026 in the regular budget process.
Commissioners also discussed wages and benefits for SRC employees. County staff said SRC positions have been mapped to county pay ranges based on an earlier McGrath compensation study and that several SRC employees who previously were not eligible for county benefits would gain eligibility and that benefits costs will increase. "So we would have to bring them in under what our policy says," a county HR/finance staff member said, noting that personnel budgeting already reflects pay-range placement.
After extended discussion and public comment, Commissioner Reid moved to approve the timeline for the SRC to become a Douglas County department by Oct. 1, 2025; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. Commissioners said they intend to schedule follow-up work sessions with staff to review implementation details, including benefits, staffing, and lease transfer logistics.
The board gave staff direction to proceed with the transition steps in the timeline, to prepare 2026 budget estimates that include SRC as a county department, and to handle lease transfer details with the city and legal counsel.
