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West Bend council OKs combined police tech-and-dispatch supervisory position
Summary
The Common Council approved reorganizing the police department’s technical-services and third-dispatch positions into a single supervisory technical-dispatch role, a change the department says will improve oversight of dispatch and save the city money.
The West Bend Common Council on June 2 approved an update to the police department’s staff structure that combines an open technical‑services position and a third dispatcher slot into one supervisory technical‑dispatch position.
City officials said the new post is intended to centralize technical expertise, improve supervision of the dispatch center and reduce recurring personnel costs. The motion to approve the staffing change passed on a voice vote; council members signified their approval with “aye” and no opposition was recorded.
Chief Dearing, who presented the request, told the council the change grew out of a year‑and‑a‑half review that included an outside consultant and a detailed study led by Captain Grinwald. “More importantly, we have a very urgent need, to move forward with this position,” Dearing said, saying the role would support the department’s next‑generation 9‑1‑1 implementation and broader technological needs.
Dearing said combining the two slots would shrink the department’s headcount by one funded position while retaining the needed skillset. He described the market pay for the combined role as about $88,000 and said the change would reduce total annual personnel costs by roughly $36,000 to $44,000 depending on the hired candidate’s level. Council members were told that eliminating the separate tech services and the vacant third‑dispatch role represented roughly $122,000 in current budgeted compensation and benefits that would be replaced by the single new hire.
Dearing and others said the position also creates a direct supervisory span of control inside dispatch — a role that currently is handled informally by sergeants and lieutenants. Dearing said the city’s McGrath salary study recommended placing the new role at a pay grade equivalent to a 65 level on the local pay scale.
Council members asked about timelines and internal recruitment. Dearing said the city would advertise the position publicly while considering qualified internal candidates and planned to launch the hiring campaign the day after council approval.
Action taken: council approved the staffing update and authorized city staff to post and fill the combined technical‑dispatch position. The change was presented as budget‑neutral in net operating impact for the year, with projected recurring savings described by the department.
The department noted the study and staffing adjustment were driven by the technological complexity of modern dispatch operations and the department’s goal of improving accountability and audits within the dispatch center.
Looking ahead, Dearing said the department will follow normal hiring and background procedures and return to the council for any future budget or personnel items that require additional appropriation.
