E911 board representatives address concerns during supervisors meeting

Holt County Supervisors held a listening session, Monday afternoon, allowing members of the Holt/Boyd E-911 board to present their perceptions of operations in the Dispatch Center and the role of the board.

In late July, supervisors Duane Neiman, Scott Keyes and Bill Tielke and Holt County Clerk Cathy Pavel met with Boyd County officials to hear public comment about day-to-day operations at the center.

The meeting arose following a June 20 meeting, where fire department representatives, emergency medical services and law enforcement from both counties expressed a verbal vote of no confidence and a demand for new leadership of the board.

On Monday, Tielke told a group of approximately 12 individuals in attendance that he received calls following the July meeting, noting county officials had not sat down with E911 board members to address their concerns.

Holt County Supervisor Dustin Breiner, who chairs the E911 board, said he "stands behind the staff we have now."

"I feel we're going in a good direction," he said.

The center currently employs eight individuals, with dispatching experience ranging from one month to 12 years.

In addition to radio calls, dispatchers fill a variety of job duties, including dispatch calls, enter warrants and protection orders, run triple-eye criminal histories for jail personnel, answer police and sheriff department calls when those offices aren't staffed, perform license plate and identification checks for law enforcement, keep accurate logs of all calls, multitask with all 911 and non-emergency calls, log items, run gun permits and vehicle identification numbers.

"That's in addition to other duties that may come up during the day," Breiner said.

E911 board members noted it's "been a struggle" to find help. Training takes between four to six months.

"You do not know, anywhere along that time frame, they might not be a fit for that job or it might not be for them," Breiner said.

He questioned if employee turnover has been a constant struggle for the board.

Matt Otte, O'Neill police chief, agreed that it can be difficult to find quality hires.

"I think we're in a better position now, as a result of all that's been discussed. Who we have now and where we're going will improve," he said. "There will be errors. When you look at one side of it, it is difficult without seeing both sides. They have to learn from those errors and as long as we can give them the tools to get better and succeed, that's all we can do."

Otte is a member of the E911 board.

Breiner said the board tries to provide tools the dispatchers need to provide an important service.

"From the outside looking in, all have opinions of how to run and think that they know better than everybody else when they do not know what goes on behind the scenes. We, on the board, have access to all of the other information that you cannot necessarily share with everybody else," he said.

Holt County Supervisor Josh Treptow, who sits on the E911 board said he supports the crew of dispatchers.

"I'm 100% behind them," Treptow said.

Costs to provide the E911 service were also discussed.

According to Breiner, operational costs - including call routing equipment, mapping programs and tower maintenance and upgrades - ranges between approximately $36,000 to $56,000, depending on potential tower upgrades.

The E911 board increased the cost assessment to $50 per person per year.

"That's averages out to 13.7 cents per day," Breiner said.

That's less than a cup of convenience store coffee or fountain drink.

Breiner added the board has been playing catch-up, since assessments had not been raised during the past six or seven years.

"We've had some new things come down from the Public Service Commission to get PSC money. We've had to have more training. We have to have one, at least, certified trainer," he said.

"If you don't at least keep up with the cost of living, the 3% ... that's a tough deal on a board," Tielke said.

After noting concerns about dispatchers giving incorrect directions to calls, Tielke asked how a statewide radio system would impact the E911 board.

According to Breiner, calls can currently be taken from outlying counties; however, the Dispatch Center currently has no way to Page those calls.

"A statewide radio would allow it. It's very expensive and there's a subscription cost as well," he said, adding that volunteer fire departments may have difficulty getting on a statewide system.

Treptow said hardware costs currently run between $6,000 and $8,000 per radio, plus an $11 monthly subscription fee is charged.

Holt County Sheriff Ben Matchett said approximately five years ago, free portable radios were being offered to emergency services.

"The only problem was they were antiquated and, if they cease to work, you're not going to find radios. There are no parts," he said. "The subscription fees are prohibitive in themselves because you're paying for a mobile radio for a month. You're paying for a portable for a month. There's a good chance it will go up over time."

Tielke said plans are in the works to partner with Northeast Community College to offer a basics of dispatching course.

"We're hoping if we can get them in a classroom situation," Tielke said. "Right now, they tell me they're working on the curriculum."

The makeup of the board also came under discussion.

Jim Gotschall, who serves as the attorney for the E911 board, said originally, the board included one representative appointed by Boyd County supervisors, two reps appointed by Holt County Supervisors and two appointments from the City of O'Neill. An at-large position was added later.

"They didn't have to be supervisors but they could be," Gotschall said.

Tielke asked if it would be beneficial to include representatives from different law enforcement and emergency services on the board.

Breiner said, "Five of the seven (current board members) are either in law enforcement or EMS."

Tielke suggested that parent boards receive quarterly reports.

"We were all kind of caught off guard until it started coming out in the papers about all the concerns that were going in," Tielke said.

Gotschall credited the E911 board for taking actions for improvement.

"They had to make some tough decisions when it was learned that the finances were in the shape they were and that resulted in changes," Gotschall said.

Breiner said he feels the board made confident decisions.

"If the citizens of the two counties knew the back story, or could know that, I'm confident those are the decisions they would want us to make," he said.

Tielke said supervisors received a letter, signed by 25 local fire fighters, expressing concerns and asking for board members and personnel to be replaced.

He also fielded a phone call from a local EMS member, who noted that a lack of confidence consensus for the E911 board and the dispatchers may be detrimental to the safety of everyone in the counties.

"The bad air has been put out there," Tielke said. "A lot of things have been said that regretfully were said or shouldn't have been said, but now isn't the time to yank the rug out and cause problems."

Tielke asked supervisors for closing comments.

Doug Frahm said he served on the E911 board and knows it isn't an easy job.

"Things needed to change. Give it time to let them get to work," he said.

Darren Paxton agreed that it's a tough board to serve on. He, along with Neiman, urged the E911 board to continue to move forward.

Treptow said he believes the current dispatchers respect the board.

"If we had a big turnover, it would be a huge mistake. I think we would lose a lot of dispatchers up there and then we'd be in a big mess," he said.

Keith Larabee, an E911 at-large member, said the board has been "a roller coaster since day one."

"Somewhere we have to stop the past from creeping back into this every single time," he said. "We're on the down slide and on our way back up."