Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Dispatch topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Johnson County 911 director requests overtime funds, outlines eight-month training plan
Summary
9-1-1 Director Keith Brandt told commissioners the dispatch center is reducing overtime through hiring and training changes but needs an appropriation for overtime while training continues; he proposed increasing part-time pay to attract staffing.
Keith Brandt, director of Johnson County 9-1-1, requested an appropriation for overtime and described training and hiring changes to reduce future overtime costs during the commissioners’ Sept. 22 meeting.
Brandt said the position requires extensive technical training and that it takes about eight months to fully train a dispatcher. “The last thing I wanna do is put somebody, you know, on the radio or on the phone that isn't proficient in, you know, being able to handle all these situations,” Brandt said.
Brandt told commissioners the department plans to raise the part-time rate to match full-time dispatcher pay to attract more part-time workers and reduce reliance on overtime. He said staffing levels have improved — from 10 vacancies two years ago to two vacancies at the time of the meeting — and that projected 2025 overtime will be about $35,000 less than last year and about $66,000 less than 2023.
A commissioner moved to approve the overtime appropriation; the board approved the request by voice vote.
Why it matters: Ongoing overtime and staffing affect emergency call handling and response times; Brandt described concrete hiring and pay changes intended to stabilize staffing.
The appropriation was approved; no additional conditions were attached.
