COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County 911 Director Kurt Spalding reported to the County 911 Board on Wednesday that some dispatcher vacancies are being filled.
He said three recent additions will bring the number of dispatchers they have up to 10 as one has been training for two weeks while another starts Wednesday and a third will start on Sunday.
911 Board Chair and Coldwater City Manager Keith Baker said from a numerical standpoint, the news was encouraging.
Spalding added two of the applicants have dispatcher experience. One worked in Hillsdale County while the other worked in Saint Joseph County over eight years ago.
Meanwhile, the county has begun negotiations with the union representing Branch County dispatchers in an effort to offer better wages. When questioned by Sheriff John Pollack, Board of Commissioners Chair Ted Gordon said a meeting on Tuesday went well.
Branch County 911 has been battling staffing issues which left them recently with just seven dispatchers when 11 are needed to be fully staffed. That led to 18 hour shifts and massive amounts of overtime.
Issues over wages when compared to other nearby counties have been ongoing even though the Police Officers Association of Michigan and the county came to a contract agreement around the first of the year.
