Director Ivon Fox outlines staffing, NCIC and budget challenges as dispatch center expands

The Public Safety Emergency Communication Center Governance Board on Tuesday heard an update on dispatch operations and budget planning after the county announced Ivon Fox as the center's director.

Director Ivon Fox told the board the center "recognized our needs fairly quickly" after going live and that staffing levels fell short of what was needed once the center assumed county-wide warrants work and began using NCIC. "We needed to up our staffing level in terms of the phone calls and the dispatch," Fox said, adding that recent changes the FBI required the state to implement for NCIC made recordkeeping and warrant-entry more time-consuming.

The staffing shortfall, Fox said, affects both 911 call taking and dispatch duties. She proposed creating separate positions for 911 operators and for dispatchers so emergency dispatchers can focus on active incidents while dedicated call takers handle incoming lines. Fox also recommended establishing a separate NCIC/TAC role to manage warrants and ensure FBI and state compliance.

Board members said the center has begun hiring: Fox reported four new hires (two starting the next Monday and two in the following weeks) and said some part-time and PRN staff are assisting during the transition. Masterson, the deputy county manager, said the center's dispatchers are still in live training; most have had only about four months of live call experience since the go-live.

Finance and budget were a major part of the discussion. Deputy County Manager Eric Masterson presented a budget summary that shows notable overtime expenses tied to staffing shortages and the go-live. He said salary savings from open positions are expected to offset some overtime costs and that staff will reallocate funds later in the fiscal year if needed. Masterson also emphasized the need to formalize dispatch agreements with partner agencies so the PAC can bill and collect revenue.

Masterson described three consulting projects led by MCM: improving address and mapping data, helping dispatch operations and RMS/CAD transition, and studying radio-system gaps and procurement for rural coverage. He said MCM has been meeting with Corrales Village planning staff to draft a sample addressing ordinance to resolve multiple-address and multiple-entrance issues that complicate 911 response.

The board discussed capital planning: there is $400,000 identified for planning and programming a possible future expansion of the center (additional seats and a training wing). Masterson also noted county geo-bond funds could support communications improvements and that larger capital purchases (new CAD, radio consoles) are expected in a 3-to-5-year window.

Members raised recruitment and retention priorities, including a proposal to treat 911 telecommunicators as first responders for retirement or benefit purposes to improve recruitment and retention. Fox and other members also highlighted mental-health supports for dispatchers; the sheriff's office swore in six chaplains to provide post-incident support.

Procedural items: the board approved the meeting agenda and the August 2025 minutes by voice vote. Eric Masterson announced the personnel change that promoted Fox from acting director to director. Members agreed to add public comment to future governance meeting agendas (timing to be placed after approval of the minutes) and discussed moving the quarterly governance meeting to the third Tuesday (example date noted: Feb. 17) to avoid municipal conflicts. Masterson said he will pull future finance reports directly from the county finance system (Tyler) to avoid manual spreadsheet errors and improve transparency.

The board adjourned with instructions to continue refining budget detail and to return with any legislative priorities and ICIP requests tied to dispatch and communications funding.