Montmorency County Is Working To Comply With State Funding
MONTMORENCY CO., MI -- A state audit more than a year ago showed that Montmorency County's 911 dispatch system was not in compliance.
County leaders have established an advisory board to get back within compliance.
Decisions made could cause controversy.
When the state audited Montmorency County's Dispatch Center last year, they deemed the center out of compliance because of several reasons; one being the state-funded employees was doing county work on the state's dime.
"They gave us a list of things to do to become compliant, and at this point, there's still things that haven't been done, it's still a work in progress," said Candace Fox, the Montmorency County Administrator.
Right now, the dispatchers work in the Sheriff's Building, where their task is to answer emergency calls as well as help out with secretarial work, like take non-emergency calls, document county stats, and assist with gun permits. So, the county has formed a 911 Advisory Board to determine what needs to be done. Sheriff Don Edwards says he's figured the dispatchers work on county-related tasks for 25 percent of their workday. He asks why the county doesn’t just pay 25 percent of the salary, a number he's already worked.
"The bottom line is the cost of the county would be 9,000 dollars, and we'd be in full compliance, they could have time to study what they for a different system and the funding that will take care of that down the road," said Sheriff Don Edwards.
The 911 Advisory Board has had two meetings, and at their first, they discussed moving the dispatch center from the sheriff's building to another location as a possible way to comply. The Sheriff says that makes no sense, and the dispatchers, they agree.
"In my eyes, and I'm speaking for the other dispatchers as I did at the 911 meeting, they haven't given us any reason why we have to move, we're trying to get in compliance, it takes 25 percent to get into compliance. Why are you moving it? They won't give us a reason," said dispatcher Debbie Allen.
Here's an interesting fact, in July 2009, $26,000 was spent to build an addition to the Montmorency County Sheriff's Building for a new 911 dispatch center.
The Sheriff says if it is moved, that creates another problem.
"I'd have to use the night deputies to basically to do that work, and that would cut my night patrol down to two officers, and I'm not willing to do that," said Edwards.
I spoke with the Commission Chairman; he says it's too early to know what will happen.
The sheriff says something needs to be done soon because the state could retract any funding given to the dispatch center.
The administrator says the 8-member 911 Advisory Board will look at all of the options and report what they find to the commissioners sometime in the future.
