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Emergency management and 9-1-1 dispatch present operations, urge funding for upgrades
Summary
Emergency management and the county emergency communications center reviewed operations, recent emergency responses and a 9-1-1 surcharge increase used for radio upgrades and workstation improvements; commissioners praised PREA compliance at juvenile detention and raised questions about funding sources for stormwater/weed control and regional evacuation planning.
Douglas County emergency management and the County Emergency Communication Center presented operational updates and funding needs during the county’s final tentative budget hearing on March 31.
Kara Easton (Emergency Management) described ongoing work on continuity-of-operations planning, Lake Tahoe regional evacuation planning and a planned multi-jurisdiction evacuation drill for Clear Creek. She highlighted outreach efforts—CERT volunteer activations during the Conner fire and the Pollen Court fire—and said emergency operations funds will be used to support incident command infrastructure such as wi‑fi at the fairgrounds.
Easton also reviewed the emergency communications/dispatch workload and metrics: about 19,716 emergency 9-1-1 calls and roughly 91,000 non-emergency calls in calendar year 2025; 51,767 calls-for-service overall (a 1% increase year over year); and a staffing plan to fill vacancies. She said the county had recently increased the 9-1-1 surcharge to the maximum allowed under Nevada statute to support public-safety radio upgrades and workstation refreshes, and described the 9-1-1 surcharge advisory committee’s role.
Commissioners asked for more detail on regional evacuation drills and for greater Lake Tahoe outreach, both of which Easton said she would pursue. The board commended dispatch for its recent reaccreditation in emergency fire dispatching and acknowledged that 9-1-1 surcharge revenue is variable and subject to address-based billing rules.
Separately, juvenile probation and detention staff reported full PREA compliance for the detention facility and described diversion programs that reduced formal filings. Commissioners praised the juvenile teams for prevention and community-service programming.
County staff and commissioners said they will incorporate these operational priorities into funding decisions and seek to identify appropriate restricted sources where possible.
