Landline funds continue to decline

Washington County Communications Supervisor Cara Sorrells told the E911 board at its meeting Monday that landline funds are down yet again. She said more and more people in the county are dropping their landline, which pays a $1.50 monthly surcharge for emergency services. She said the E911 board doesn?t recoup that money from additional cell phone users because cell phone users pay a much lower rate than landline users. She said she receives about 65 cents from each cell phone user. She said landline charges have dropped $58,000 since 2000.

Board member Ryan Miller said he doesn?t understand how surrounding counties that only charge 50 cents or a $1 surcharge are able to pay their bills.

E911 Board chairman Bob Shepherd said it doesn?t make sense for cell phone users to pay less since they are actually receiving an enhanced service. He said cell phone users can call 911 wherever they are, unlike landline users who have to be at home to do so.

The mobile radios for the Washington Police and Washington County Sheriff?s department?s squad cars have arrived and have already been installed in the police department?s cars. Miller asked what the departments were going to do with the old ones because the city of Wellman would be interested in owning one.

The Communications Commission approved its budget for publication. The budget will be printed in The Washington Evening Journal and there will be a public hearing on the budget at the commission and board?s next meeting, Feb. 8 in the former Washington library.

The proposed budget for the commission includes no raises for the dispatchers who are on a step plan, but a 50 cent raise per hour for those who have graduated from the step plan, meaning they have worked more than 10 years.

Full-time dispatchers start at a wage of $13.61 per hour and receive an increase of 63 cents per hour for each year they work after that. Part-time employees also start at $13.61 per hour but their steps give them raises of 39 cents per year. After 10 years, the employees graduate from the step program and at that point their wages are determined by the communications commission. Six of the 11 dispatchers have graduated from the step plan.

Sorrells announced that part-time dispatcher Kristin Schmuecker will leave soon in order to attend college full time. Shepherd said being a part-time dispatcher is hard because they have to be at the top of their game with a long stretch in between work days. He said turnover among dispatchers, especially part-timers, has declined in recent years and he attributes that to the step program.

The commission voted to keep Wes Rich the chairman and Shepherd the vice chairman.

Sorrells showed the commissioners the formula which will determine the share of the budget that each city will pay for the 2012-2013 budget. The 2012-2013 budget is about $650,000. The city of Washington will pay for 35 percent of it. The rural areas will pay about 39 percent of it and the other cities will pay 26 percent of it. The amount each jurisdiction pays is a function of the average of their percent of calls, percent of population and percent of the assessed value.

The number of 911 calls in the county decreased by about 2 percent from 2010 to 2011 when there were 9,731 calls. The number of 911 calls fell in every town except Riverside and Kalona, which increased by 30 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

The commissioners discussed the possibility of rewriting the 28E agreement the commission operates under. The commissioners agreed that a clearer 28E agreement would be good.

The 911 Board welcomed three new members to start the year: Scott Hughes of Brighton, Paula Walton of Riverside and Ken Herington of Kalona. Hughes also serves on the commission.