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Sheriff presents $72,500 invoice for past dispatch duties; commission declines immediate action as staffing, training and equipment needs are reviewed
Summary
Sheriff Dean Kruger submitted a $72,500 invoice for 14.5 years of service as communications officer; commissioners took no action. The commission also heard a dispatch operations update: two new dispatchers will attend a 40‑hour course, a Boone County dispatcher will provide Flex System training, a monitor is out, painting continues and Kruger said he will seek $10,000 reimbursement for computers.
Sheriff Dean Kruger told the Humboldt Public Safety Commission on Sept. 9 that he had submitted an invoice seeking $72,500 for 14.5 years of service as the communications officer at the Humboldt County Law Enforcement Center, calculated at $5,000 per year.
Kruger outlined a history of who oversaw the dispatch center in recent years — mentioning Police Chief Reed (through Dec. 31, 2007), Kruger (beginning Jan. 1, 2008), assistant Tim Terwilliger (June 1, 2022 onward), Ann Garvey (July 1, 2024–April 24, 2025) and Police Chief Miller (May–June 2025) — and said a $10,000 stipend had been implemented for services through the end of the calendar year. The commission did not take action on Kruger’s invoice during the meeting.
Commissioner Rick Pedersen said he had voted in May for a contract under which the police chief would serve as communications officer with no additional wage incentive, and that the matter was revoted in June while he was absent. Pedersen’s statement was presented as his account; the minutes record no formal resolution or vote on Kruger’s invoice at this meeting.
The commission also received a dispatch operations update from Dispatcher Nikole Bennett. Bennett said two newly hired dispatchers are performing well and are scheduled to attend a 40‑hour training course the following week. She said a dispatcher from Boone County will come to provide instruction on the Flex System used by dispatch staff. Bennett also reported an in‑room monitor above the dispatch area was out of service but that other monitors were available for use.
Sheriff Kruger reported that exterior painting of the Law Enforcement Center is proceeding but that weather has posed challenges. Kruger said he will request reimbursement of $10,000 to cover computers. Commissioner Pedersen added he would contact Gronbach about replacing a small amount of damaged cement on the west side of the Law Enforcement Center.
Procedural business at the start and end of the meeting proceeded by motion: commissioners approved the meeting agenda, the Aug. 19, 2025 minutes, claims totaling $67,859.50 and the monthly budget reports; all recorded motions passed with ‘‘all voting aye.’’ The commission set its next meeting for Oct. 14, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. and adjourned at 8:44 a.m.
