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Sumner County 911 staff report vacancies, high call volumes and pending surcharge legislation
Summary
District staff reported six ECC vacancies, recent hires, February call totals exceeding 25,000 and a pending state proposal to raise the 911 surcharge from $1.50 to $1.86 that could generate about $36 million statewide for consolidation and technology.
Mike, district staff, told the board the Emergency Communications District has had 86 incidents requiring IT or operational attention since Jan. 12 and that the district is pursuing hardware and UPS replacements approved previously.
He said the district currently has six vacancies at the ECC — three telecommunicator positions and three CTO positions — and that a hire date is scheduled for May 18. Mike said the district has hired 12 staff since November and is using cross-training and staff oversight to keep training on track.
On service volumes, Mike reported 25,183 calls for service in February and 22,245 telephone calls; year-to-date figures were just under 55,000 service calls and just under 50,000 telephone calls for the first two months of the year. He also noted recent employee recognitions: a “stork” award for assisting a childbirth and two lifesaver awards tied to CPR instruction.
During follow-up discussion, Mike said the current 911 surcharge is $1.50 and that a proposed rise to $1.86 would generate approximately $36 million statewide per year. He said the additional funds are expected to be allocated to districts and PSAP consolidation and to technology improvements, and that the state is also considering a resolution to permit remote participation for districts.
Board members did not take action on the legislative matters; Mike encouraged members to register for upcoming conferences (NENA in June and APCO in August).
The board will revisit budget and staffing items at the April 29 budget committee meeting.
