911 Proposition On August Ballot

Crawford County 911 is putting a 3/8ths of a cent sales tax increase on the August ballot, seeking to generate additional funds for the call center.

“Friends Supporting Crawford County Proposition 911” is a Facebook group created June 15 to generate support through social media.

The group says the 911 proposition will help generate enough revenue to help staffing and improve emergency response times.

911 Director Brad England said the increase will go towards pay increases for dispatched and lowering a sky-high turnover rate.

“It’s about 70%,” said England, who has been the director since 2019. “We are a training ground for other agencies.”

If voters approve the 3/8ths increase, England said it will be dedicated to making dispatcher pay more competitive.

Dispatchers start at $11.50 per hour, but the city of Sullivan and Franklin County 911 are starting them out closer to $20 per hour.

In Phelps County, England said, dispatchers are starting out at $19 per hour.

To be fully staffed, England said they need 13 dispatchers.

During his time as director, he estimated they have been fully staffed for only about two months.

Training takes up to three months, but England said it’s closer to six months before someone is fully ready for the responsibility.

With such a high rate of turnover, Crawford County 911 is constantly playing catch up.

“A 3/8ths increase will set us up for the future,” England said.

This is Crawford County 911’s second sales tax increase request in the last six years.

In 2016, voters approved an increase that went towards upgrading equipment and a $2 per hour pay raise.

England worries about the future of Crawford County 911 if they can’t raise the pay and keep dispatchers.

The “doomsday scenario” for 911 would be that Crawford County goes the way of Iron County, which does not have a call center.

“All of Iron County’s calls go through Washington County,” he said. “If we can’t pay our dispatchers, we’ll lose them and have to look at other options.”