Court approves E‑911 appropriation after extended discussion about comp time and staffing shortages

The Quorum Court approved an appropriation to the E‑911 fund after an extended discussion about payroll shortfalls driven by comp‑time payouts and staffing shortages.

Sponsor Mary Phillips presented an ordinance to appropriate $65,674.01 into the 9‑1‑1 budget to cover full‑time salaries, Social Security matching and retirement costs and to pay comp‑time for employees who had accrued more than 120 hours. Members questioned why the shortfall occurred; county staff explained the shortfall resulted in part from an extra month of payroll being paid after a transition from Fairfield Bay employment to county employment, and from multiple recent departures that forced remaining dispatchers to work significant overtime.

A 9‑1‑1 staff member identified in the transcript as Judy described the operational impacts: several long‑term employees left for higher pay elsewhere, replacements require a lengthy training period (six to eight months), and the current crew has taken on substantial overtime to cover shifts. Court members discussed comp‑time policy, accrual limits and options for managing the balance moving forward. The court then voted to adopt the appropriation ordinance to cover the remainder of 2023 payroll and comp‑time obligations.

Judy also provided a schedule update on the generator intended to support the 9‑1‑1 move, telling the court the generator was expected to ship Dec. 19 and that installation and joint testing would likely push the actual move into January or February.