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Winona County board approves three-month dispatch backup with Rice & Steel amid staffing crisis
Summary
Facing a critical shortage of dispatch staff the board approved a temporary three-month intergovernmental agreement with Rice & Steel 911 to provide remote dispatch support while the county recruits and evaluates longer-term options.
Winona County commissioners on a unanimous vote approved a three-month intergovernmental agreement that will route some 911 dispatch duties to the Rice & Steel (RSC) regional center while the county works to fill multiple vacancies in its local dispatch center.
The sheriff told the board the dispatch center has been understaffed for years and that a recent resignation of the dispatch supervisor further reduced capacity. The sheriff said the county is allotted 13 dispatch positions but currently lacks sufficient trained staff to cover scheduled shifts, leaving the office unable to absorb sickness or vacation without outside help.
Resident Josh Murphy urged the board to treat staffing as a public-safety priority, saying the county "owes its residents ... public safety services that are robust, reliable, redundant, and effective," and warned that routing calls 90 miles away is a fragile stopgap if local staffing is not addressed.
Jennifer Lavala, the county dispatch supervisor, supported the short-term agreement and said Rice & Steel offered access to its orientation training for new hires, which should help the county accelerate training while staffing remains thin. "This will help to assist us in the training process while we're short staff," she said.
Board members debated alternatives including cross-training, regionalization and recruitment strategies. Several commissioners called the measure a necessary "band-aid" given the immediate need to keep two-person shifts staffed; others pressed staff to return with cost comparisons and longer-term options.
The motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement passed by voice vote after commissioners acknowledged the three-month term is limited and asked sheriff's staff to report back with staffing and financial data.
The sheriff's office was identified as lead for coordinating the agreement and the board directed administrators to return with follow-up information about costs, staffing impacts, and potential next steps such as regional consolidation or local recruitment initiatives.
