Sheriff says dispatch consolidation prompted reclassification, shift leads to cover vacancies

Washington County Sheriff Schulteis briefed the committee on changes to dispatch supervision tied to consolidation of Hartford and Germantown dispatch operations.

"What we did is we promoted Angela Blair from communications sergeant to communications lieutenant," Schulteis said, describing a reclassification rather than the creation of a new position. He said the sergeant who had been performing much of the coordination work had been doing "a lieutenant type" of job and that reclassification better matched those duties. "The sergeants are, non exempt employees, so we pay overtime. Lieutenants are exempt employees that that don't have overtime," Schulteis said, noting the fiscal impact was limited because the department did not fill the now‑vacant sergeant slot immediately.

The sheriff said the office also created appointed shift leads on each of three shifts to take on minor administrative tasks such as scheduling, time cards and quality assurance reviews. The changes were made to manage a difficult period during consolidation and after a senior sergeant left for the private sector.

Schulteis reported the department is still recruiting. "We're currently 6 short. But we are actively interviewing. We're actively doing some backgrounds now. We think we have some very, very good candidates," he said. In the interim, he said staff are covering shifts with overtime.

The remarks were presented as an operational update; committee members asked for clarification about vacancies and coverage but did not take formal action.