By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department would take back dispatching responsibilities — but leave its dispatchers at the center run by the Jasper County Emergency Services Board — under a plan endorsed Tuesday night by the county board.
Sheriff Archie Dunn has contracted with the county board for dispatching services for about five years. Hiring Sheriff’s Department dispatchers who would still work at the county center south of Carthage “is one of the options he’s looking at,” said Kelly Stephens, board chairman.
In addition to heading the county board, an elected position, Stephens also is chief deputy for the Sheriff’s Department. He did not vote in board action endorsing a memorandum of understanding that is proposed to govern the dispatching arrangement.
The plan was unanimously endorsed by the four board members present for Tuesday night’s meeting. The four included Jeff Merriman and Larry Newman, both of whom previously worked as officers with the Sheriff’s Department.
Stephens said Dunn is not critical of work by the county center, “but he believes it’s important that he has his own people dispatching his own cars.”
Attempts to reach Dunn on Tuesday night were unsuccessful.
The Sheriff’s Department has been paying the county board $110,668 per year for dispatching services. The memorandum calls for the sheriff to continue to pay those costs, on a monthly basis, until the transition is completed.
Stephens said he did not believe the arrangement would have a significant impact on the county board’s budget.
“I think it would be pretty much a wash,” he said.
Primary revenues for the county operation come from a sales tax of one-tenth of a cent. Proceeds are down, as a result of the economic downturn, and board members looked at ways of cutting costs for the 2010 budget.
“We’re going to have to take a hard look at costs, regardless of what the sheriff does,” said Carl Francis, board treasurer.
The board discussed options for trimming costs for workers’ health insurance, but made no decision.
Budget meeting
Board members agreed to meet in special session at 1 p.m. Nov. 17 to discuss plans for the 2010 budget.
