Randolph County to hire consultant for 911 staffing review after presentation on burnout and retention

Barry Ritter, co‑owner of Ritter Strategic Services and a former state 911 director, told Randolph County commissioners that staffing and retention problems at the county’s PAP (911) center mirror statewide trends and merit an independent operational review.

“Forced overtime…burnout leads to resignations,” Ritter said, describing how continual training cycles and heavy ancillary duties can push centers into a retention spiral. He recommended improvements across recruitment, testing, credentialed training officers, shift design and employee supports. Ritter also proposed an anonymous employee survey to surface workplace culture issues.

Commissioners pressed on practical next steps. Ritter said he would prepare a not‑to‑exceed contract and a scope of work, built from a baseline workload and staffing assessment and including deliverables and an action plan for any deficiencies the review finds. “If the not‑to‑exceed comes in — say $50,000 — and we only do $30,000 of work, you pay $30,000,” he said, explaining his standard contracting approach.

Sheriff Art Boyer and commissioners emphasized the importance of the work environment and mental‑health support for dispatchers, noting the PAP center’s location in the jail and the lack of decompression time after traumatic calls. Commissioners also asked about regional consolidation and interlocal options; Ritter described short‑term shared‑service arrangements some counties use but said long‑term consolidation is a complicated policy conversation for public‑safety leaders.

Next steps: Ritter will submit contract paperwork and scope to the county auditor; commissioners expect the item to be considered at an upcoming meeting. The county said it would first accept the consultant’s baseline assessment before deciding on larger operational or facility changes.