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Senior Resource Center asks county to fund drivers and vehicle replacement after volunteer shortages
Summary
Douglas County's Senior Resource Center told commissioners it needs ongoing funding for drivers and seed money to replace aging vans after volunteer retirements left service gaps; staff said one van previously cost $67,000 and the county set aside $250,000 in 2026 to help with the SRC transition.
Megan Poindexter, department manager for the Senior Resource Center, told the Douglas County Board of Commissioners that a long-standing mix of volunteer and paid drivers has shifted toward more paid staff because volunteers — especially in Baldwin — are retiring and no new recruits have filled the gaps.
"When we have drivers who suddenly don't show up for any reason, that impacts the 5 to 10 people who needed a ride that day significantly," Poindexter said, describing missed medical appointments and the operational strain of unreliable volunteer coverage. She said the Lawrence team has always been paid staff while volunteer drivers historically covered Eudora and Baldwin.
Jill Dudley, executive director of Independence Incorporated, summarized the SRC supplemental asks for commissioners: pay compression adjustments to align SRC staff with the county pay plan, an increased FTE allocation for drivers, and seed funding to replace vans that have outlived their lifespan. Dudley noted the commission previously set aside $250,000 in the 2026 budget to help absorb transition expenses when SRC became a county department.
Poindexter said vans can be costly — "the last one we bought was $67,000" — and that the seed funding would provide a cushion for matching KDOT grants or an immediate replacement if a vehicle is totaled. She also said fundraising through the SRC 'friends' group is intentionally limited: the friends group is not designed to pay wages or operate a payroll system, so donors typically support programming rather than salaries.
Commissioners pressed on alternatives, asking whether volunteers, city partnerships or other grants could cover driver needs. Poindexter said the KDOT grant program for vans is helpful but inconsistent in timing; one prior grant took almost three years to deliver a van, and KDOT awards are not guaranteed.
The SRC's leaders framed the request as preserving reliability for vulnerable riders and enabling program growth. Commissioners did not take a formal vote during this panel; staff said they will include these supplemental requests in follow-up budget materials and that the funded seed request for vans had been prioritized as a one-time allocation.
