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County updates: jail population, 911 addressing improvements and ambulance fleet-tracking proposal
Summary
Officials reported the jail averaged 95 inmates in May and discussed improvements to 9-1-1 addressing and a proposed fleet-tracking system for ambulances; a staffing promotion and some budget items were approved.
Ballard County Fiscal Court received several public-safety and operations updates June 17 and approved routine personnel and budget items.
Eric presented the jail monthly report for May: "for the month of May, we got an average population of 95. We have 49 bookings and 54 releases," he said. He noted that Mental Health/Recovery Treatment (MRT) program figures are still pending Department of Corrections confirmation. The court approved one staffing change, moving an employee from part-time to full-time status effective immediately.
Larry from 9-1-1 dispatch reported that county address updates are entered into the county’s GIS and that dispatch can provide same‑day addresses for new construction; he cautioned that Google and Apple Maps often take longer to reflect state GIS updates. Dispatchers will continue quarterly synchronization to the state and can route responders immediately when provided the new address.
Anna, who oversees billing and EMS-related systems, described a recent billing import error that briefly prevented invoices from being submitted; she said the issue was corrected and expected any bite‑size revenue differences to appear on next month’s report. Anna also described a fleet‑tracking proposal that includes cab and road dash cameras. "It records continuously, but the only time it saves is if there's an event," Anna said, describing event triggers such as hard braking or impact. She said the system can send event reports to phones, provide maintenance logs and inventory tracking, and uses cellular service (the vendor referenced Verizon). Commissioners asked staff to evaluate costs and cellular coverage and to review budget implications with finance staff.
The court approved routine monthly reports and cash transfers, agreed to a one‑year contribution to the Valley County Fair Board (historically $5,000–$7,000), and authorized making a recycling position full time at $18/hour. A special call meeting was scheduled for June 20 at 9 a.m. for the second reading of the fiscal year budget.
