Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Dispatch Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
911 director asks for an additional telecommunicator to reduce overtime; board hears staffing and cost estimates
Summary
The county’s 9‑1‑1 director described chronic overtime costs (~$90,000 in FY24) and proposed hiring a tenth telecommunicator to reduce overtime and improve scheduling; finance staff estimated the all‑in cost of a new full‑time hire at roughly $50,000–$52,000 annually.
Iroquois County’s 9‑1‑1 director summarized staffing pressures in the joint dispatch center and asked the board to authorize hiring an additional full‑time telecommunicator to reduce recurring overtime.
Eric Raymond, who oversees dispatch operations, told the board the center is operating on a thin staffing margin. “Telecommunicators right now work in a 6 day book. It’s 4 days on, 2 days off,” he said, explaining that two telecommunicators staff each shift to provide 24/7 coverage. Raymond said vacancies, vacation accruals (some employees earn up to 160 hours of vacation), and comp‑time have driven frequent overtime. He said FY24 overtime for joint dispatch totaled approximately $90,000; correctional overtime was about $79,000 in the same period.
Raymond proposed adding a tenth telecommunicator. He and finance staff discussed cost estimates: the county’s listed starting wage for a telecommunicator is $20.20 hourly; adding employer benefit costs (FICA, retirement, workers’ compensation) and a typical county benefits contribution would raise the all‑in employer cost to roughly $50,000–$52,000 per year for a full‑time hire. A board member asked whether adding another full‑time employee will materially reduce overtime; Raymond estimated the overtime line could drop by about $20,000 (from roughly $90,000 down toward $70,000) depending on scheduling, vacancies and how comp‑time is handled.
Board members also discussed alternatives: hiring part‑time staff (grant‑funded positions were mentioned), re‑examining schedule approvals to avoid overlapping time off, and using joint dispatch funding from participating jurisdictions to offset costs. Raymond said part‑time or grant options would change the cost‑benefit calculation and that some grant‑funded improvements to dispatch (technical upgrades) require up‑front payment before grant reimbursement.
No motion to hire was made at the meeting. Board members requested a more detailed fiscal analysis, including projected overtime savings, benefit costs and possible joint dispatch funding contributions, before making a final hiring decision.
