Budget committee approves raises for 911 dispatchers, accepts separate E-911 pay schedule

Committee members voted to raise pay for county 911 dispatchers after testimony from dispatch leadership about high turnover and chronic staffing pressure. A dispatch representative told the committee that with 18 dispatchers and 24/7 operations, employees often must fill extra shifts when coworkers are sick or on leave, and that current pay made it difficult for many to make dispatch a career. An unnamed council member moved to adopt the recommended rate; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Later in the meeting staff recommended treating many E-911 positions (director, assistant director, supervisors, training coordinators and dispatchers) on a separate classification schedule rather than strictly following the county's Baker Tilly grade matrix. The committee voted to accept the director's submitted numbers for the director and assistant director and to remove those positions from the standard county grade schedule.

Committee members said the PSAP fund currently supports dispatch payroll and that staff would continue to provide fund-balance forecasts to ensure long-term sustainability before larger decisions were made on multi-year commitments. The committee asked staff to supply the payroll figures and to include E-911 classification numbers in the materials prepared for the upcoming council session.

Next steps: staff to provide a forecast of PSAP fund balances and the finalized E-911 compensation numbers for the council packet.