Council hears update on 911 staffing; city says lines generally answered and six new hires added

Councilmembers asked for an update on 911 call handling and response times after reports that calls were not being answered and that some operators were working from home.

A city public‑safety staff member (Jeremy) said working from home is “not true” and that the system would not allow remote operation. Jeremy said the department has added six new personnel and that staffing levels are up compared with a previously reported low; the department’s target staffing level remains higher (Jeremy mentioned a target around 56 operators while current staffing was described as near 30–31).

Jeremy explained that call take‑and‑dispatch works in stages: call takers handle incoming calls and then pass incidents to dispatchers (police dispatchers and fire/rescue dispatchers are separate). He said periods of high call volume can create temporary backlogs — “like a traffic jam on the interstate” — because multiple witnesses may call about the same incident and calls queue until an operator is available. Jeremy invited councilmembers to visit the communications center to observe operations and the call‑handling system, which shows operator status with indicator lights.

A councilmember with many apartment complexes in their district asked whether the city could form a task force to coordinate spot checks by fire, building code and police; staff said a business‑review process and monthly meetings exist to coordinate enforcement and that new enforcement approaches are being discussed to avoid displacing residents without housing alternatives.