ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Charles County Council on Monday approved an emergency bill to hire contracted dispatchers to help answer 911 calls while the county works to bring in more hires.
The council at its regular meeting voted unanimously to authorize the county to contract with Moetivations, Inc., a company that offers public safety support services, to provide certified 911 dispatchers to relieve short-staffing.
The plan calls for hiring up to eight contract dispatchers as early as October, according to a county spokesperson. Their jobs would mostly be to help answer calls, while full-time employees would largely handle dispatching over radio and other tasks.
Leaders at Monday's council meeting said that the bill is a temporary solution as the county works to hire more people.
The county's 911 system is currently 10 dispatchers short of its full staff of 44 positions, with four recently hired dispatchers in training, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann's office said.
“This is a proactive step,” Ehlmann said in a Friday statement. “Our response times have not been affected. We’ve been able to maintain our standards — and we want to keep it that way.”
Ehlmann's office said the plan would authorize the county to hire eight contract dispatchers for six months at a cost of about $518,000, compared to the $369,000 it would cost to pay regular county employees working for that same period. The funding would come from the county's Emergency Communications Fund.
Though the contract would initially be for six months, the proposal would allow it to be extended for two additional three-month periods if needed.
The bill is sponsored by Council Chair Terry Hollander.
“It would help prevent burnout among dispatchers working overtime and maintain our staffing requirements," Hollander said in a statement. "We try to fill these positions, but when we can’t, we overwork the people who are there.”
Moetivations, Inc. is currently hiring dispatchers for its new "extremely high demand" Dispatchers-On-Demand program, according to its website. "We're looking for experienced 911 dispatchers with a desire to assist agencies in need," a message on the website stated.
