Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Dispatch topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beltrami County authorizes limited overtime for dispatch supervisor as PSAP staffing falls to 61%
Summary
The county board voted 5-0 to allow emergency communications supervisor Janice Signa to accept overtime under specific conditions after the PSAP fell to about 61% staffing and four employees left or failed to complete training.
Beltrami County commissioners on an unanimous vote approved a resolution authorizing the emergency communications supervisor to accept overtime under defined conditions after the county’s public-safety answering point (PSAP) reported a critical staffing shortfall.
The action, approved 5-0, allows PSAP manager Janice Signa to fill shifts outside her standard 8 a.m.–4 p.m. schedule only after all other telecommunicators have rejected the shift or are scheduled to work it within three days, the resolution says. Sheriff Tyler described the change as a temporary measure while the office recruits and completes lengthy training for new hires.
The move was prompted by recent resignations and training attrition that left the PSAP at roughly 61% staffing and down five positions, Sheriff Tyler told the board. “We’ve recently had two of our staff members in the PSAP resign … and another individual who was in training moved on,” he said, adding that training takes “anywhere from 6 to 9 months.” Tyler told commissioners the overtime authorization would have “very little impact” on the sheriff’s budget due to salary savings from vacancies.
Commissioner Tom Gould read the resolution language describing the three-day rule: “The emergency communication supervisor shall not accept any overtime shifts until and unless all other telecommunicators have rejected such shifts or are scheduled to do so within 3 days of the shift.” Gould asked the sheriff to clarify whether that clause would prevent the supervisor from filling shifts needed sooner; Tyler confirmed the intent was to reserve shifts for telecommunicators whenever feasible.
Board members discussed steps to limit burnout for the supervisor, including tighter controls on non-emergency time off and monitoring overtime hours while trainees complete certification. Tyler said the department is training one strong trainee now and hopes to enroll additional trainees in coming months, but emphasized the PSAP can only train two people at a time effectively.
Commissioners also discussed recruiting strategies, including limited hiring from other agencies, and noted prior staffing crises in the jail that required similar measures. The board asked staff to continue tracking overtime, recruitment progress and service levels and to report back.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to approve the meeting agenda — Mover: Commissioner Winger; Second: Commissioner Carlson. Outcome: approved 5-0. - Motion to approve the consent agenda — Mover: Commissioner Sumner; Second: Commissioner Winger. Outcome: approved 5-0. - Resolution authorizing overtime for the emergency communications supervisor with three-day fill rule — Mover: Commissioner Sumner; Second: Commissioner Carlson. Outcome: approved 5-0.
The board instructed staff to monitor the PSAP’s staffing and return updates; commissioners said the overtime authorization is temporary and tied to recruitment and training milestones.
