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Lake County E-911 board vets part-time director plan with Chaffey County manager
Summary
The Lake County E-911 Authority board discussed hiring a temporary, part-time director and interviewed Nick Huffman, a communications manager from Chaffey County, who proposed a September start and a monthly-hours model for a short-term appointment to help with training, policy and project work.
The Lake County E-911 Authority board discussed a plan to hire a temporary, part-time communications director and met with a candidate, Nick Huffman, who outlined how he would support the county on training, policy, project management and staffing while the board continues a search for a full-time director.
Huffman, who described himself as the communications manager reporting to his sheriff at Chaffey County, said he could begin data collection and planning immediately but recommended a practical start date of Sept. 1 to avoid the busiest summer operational period. He offered a monthly-hours approach rather than a strict weekly schedule: “an absolute minimum of 30 hours per month and a maximum of 80 hours per month,” he said, to allow flexibility if his primary duties required extra time.
Board members said the temporary appointment would give the authority a focused, experienced person to advance a number of outstanding projects. Claire Hathaway, Lake County emergency manager director, described the board as a “working managing board” that needs additional hands to move training, recruitment, policy and technical projects forward.
Huffman told the board he has roughly 12 years in dispatch and has led modernization and training efforts in small, rural centers. He said he could help rebuild call reference guides, strengthen training and CTO (call taker/telecommunicator) processes, and assist with next-generation and QA (quality assurance) implementations.
Board members and staff discussed classification and duration. Lake County staff said county HR has a temporary classification that caps at five months; the board said it would likely post a temporary part-time position to allow overlap and an orderly handoff if a permanent hire is later found. Hathaway said that approach would align with county policy while allowing a trial period for a part-time arrangement.
The discussion closed with agreement to pursue the temporary classification and to continue detailed discussions about scope and start date with Huffman. The board indicated it could consider a decision on authorization in August if quotes and details about equipment upgrades (discussed elsewhere in the meeting) were available.
Ending: The board did not make a hiring decision at the July meeting but signaled support for pursuing a temporary part-time director. If the board moves forward, it expects an overlap period for handoff to a later full-time hire and to coordinate with county HR on classification and pay.
