The Emporia Senior Center has been battling financial issues for years, and that ongoing issue has forced painful steps for the facility.
Director Ian Boyd says the Senior Center Board of Directors approved Boyd’s recommendation to lay off employees, including himself, as the Senior Center deals with a combination of several factors — including the embezzlement of over $100,000 from prior director Lannie Lyman, equipment failures, COVID-19, recent inflationary pressures and lower attendance. Boyd says the Senior Center’s expenses are within the approved budget and there have been no financial crimes, but the layoffs are needed to preserve the center’s status as a Kansas corporation.
Besides the layoffs, which affect Boyd and two other staffers, Boyd announced the cancellation of bingo until further notice. Plans are now being discussed for holding the center’s third annual fundraising gala later this fall.
Other steps are under discussion. Boyd says he is working with realtors as the board begins considering whether to sell or lease the property near 12th and Exchange. Boyd says the ultimate goal is to avoid dissolving the organization.
This is a developing story. KVOE News has reached out to Boyd for additional information and comment.
