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Dispatch chief urges pay overhaul and MOUs after staffing shortfalls; commissioners consider evaluations and regional support
Summary
Daniels County dispatch leadership urged changes to pay structure, shift lengths and mutual aid agreements to address chronic staffing shortages; commissioners discussed merit-based evaluations, potential MOUs with neighboring counties and fund reallocation to cover essential equipment and wages.
The county dispatch director (Speaker 5) told commissioners that staffing shortages and the current pay structure are hindering recruitment and retention, and asked the board to consider reworking pay scales and shift schedules.
“People are putting in long hours and I'm doing everything I can to keep things going,” the dispatch director said, detailing training work to modernize the CAD system and a case for more competitive starting wages. She cited regional comparisons — some neighboring counties start dispatchers at $18–$22 an hour — and urged a mix of merit, cost‑of‑living and longevity components in future raises. The director also said she was building a training manual and an MOU template to allow neighboring centers to provide backup dispatch coverage in the event of staff outages.
Commissioners discussed implementing performance evaluations more frequently than the county’s minimum, tying merit to raises and giving department heads more latitude to reward high-performing employees. They also asked staff to identify how to shift eligible costs into the 9‑1‑1 fund where appropriate and told the dispatch director to explore an MOU with Sheridan County to create emergency backup coverage.
