Watauga devising budget for 911 center
by Kellen Moore
If Watauga County has its way, a single 911 communications center including Boone, Blowing Rock and the county may be in place as early as July 1.
County commissioners and staff have prepared a tentative job description for an emergency services director to oversee the center, and a budget is now being formulated.
But as of now, it's not even clear whether Boone wants to join.
“We're certainly looking at this, but we have not at this point arrived at a decision,” Mayor Loretta Clawson said.
Public safety agencies and elected officials have been batting around the idea of a single dispatch center for the county for years — even decades, some claim.
Proponents point to the possibility of significant cost savings and a smoother delivery of service for residents.
“The biggest thing is, it's not the money — it's the safety aspect and the service to the community,” County Commissioner Vince Gable said.
At its Jan. 10 meeting, the Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners voted unanimously for a resolution expressing interest in consolidating. The county's 911 center already dispatches fire and Medic services in Blowing Rock, while the town dispatches its own police force.
Town Manager Scott Hildebran said commissioners had only a few questions and would wait to see more information about cost and structure. He said the reservations some people had in earlier years had evaporated as unified dispatch centers became more common statewide.
“A lot of that's resolved as people get more familiar with these systems,” Hildebran said.
At Tuesday's Watauga County commissioners meeting, the board reviewed a job description for the emergency services director. Under the draft description, the director would oversee the new dispatch center and the Office of Emergency Management.
They also discussed a possible advisory committee that would be set up to guide operations.
Gable said he expected the emergency services director salary would fall near $60,000 but would be consummate with experience.
The board tabled the matter, deciding not to post the job until a budget and salary range was finalized.Gable said he believes the center would function best as a standalone county department housed in the current communications center beneath the sheriff's office.
He said the space would require only minor modifications, including the possible installation of a fifth dispatcher console. Blowing Rock, Boone and Watauga County currently have a combined 22 full-time positions, and Gable said he thought that number would be sustained in the combined center.
“I don't anticipate any job loss for anyone that wants to become part of this,” he said.
Gable said a flat annual cost would probably be established for each town at the start, with the possibility of switching to a cost structure based on call volume in the future.
He said a more defined budget would be determined by the commissioners' budget retreat, set for Feb. 24-25.
Gable said he believed any doubts among Boone officials would be lessened if the proposal represented a cost savings for the town, which he believed it would.
Boone Town Manager Greg Young agreed that the budget was an important point in making a decision.
“A number of considerations would be involved, but it's certainly one of many,” Young said.
County commissioners and staff have prepared a tentative job description for an emergency services director to oversee the center, and a budget is now being formulated.
But as of now, it's not even clear whether Boone wants to join.
“We're certainly looking at this, but we have not at this point arrived at a decision,” Mayor Loretta Clawson said.
Public safety agencies and elected officials have been batting around the idea of a single dispatch center for the county for years — even decades, some claim.
Proponents point to the possibility of significant cost savings and a smoother delivery of service for residents.
“The biggest thing is, it's not the money — it's the safety aspect and the service to the community,” County Commissioner Vince Gable said.
At its Jan. 10 meeting, the Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners voted unanimously for a resolution expressing interest in consolidating. The county's 911 center already dispatches fire and Medic services in Blowing Rock, while the town dispatches its own police force.
Town Manager Scott Hildebran said commissioners had only a few questions and would wait to see more information about cost and structure. He said the reservations some people had in earlier years had evaporated as unified dispatch centers became more common statewide.
“A lot of that's resolved as people get more familiar with these systems,” Hildebran said.
At Tuesday's Watauga County commissioners meeting, the board reviewed a job description for the emergency services director. Under the draft description, the director would oversee the new dispatch center and the Office of Emergency Management.
They also discussed a possible advisory committee that would be set up to guide operations.
Gable said he expected the emergency services director salary would fall near $60,000 but would be consummate with experience.
The board tabled the matter, deciding not to post the job until a budget and salary range was finalized.Gable said he believes the center would function best as a standalone county department housed in the current communications center beneath the sheriff's office.
He said the space would require only minor modifications, including the possible installation of a fifth dispatcher console. Blowing Rock, Boone and Watauga County currently have a combined 22 full-time positions, and Gable said he thought that number would be sustained in the combined center.
“I don't anticipate any job loss for anyone that wants to become part of this,” he said.
Gable said a flat annual cost would probably be established for each town at the start, with the possibility of switching to a cost structure based on call volume in the future.
He said a more defined budget would be determined by the commissioners' budget retreat, set for Feb. 24-25.
Gable said he believed any doubts among Boone officials would be lessened if the proposal represented a cost savings for the town, which he believed it would.
Boone Town Manager Greg Young agreed that the budget was an important point in making a decision.
“A number of considerations would be involved, but it's certainly one of many,” Young said.