Quincy Reporter

Adams County Joint Emergency Telephone System Board met Oct. 17.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

7 members present: Quincy Alderman Mike Farha (Joint ETSB Chairman), Quincy Alderman Jeff Bergman, Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley, Adams County Board Member Ryan Niekamp, Adams County Sheriff Brian Vonderhaar, PSAP Representative John Simon, Adams County Public Member Sue Hester.

2 members absent: Quincy Alderman Richie Reis, Adams County Rural Fire Association Representative Tom Bentley

Also present: 9-1-1 Director Steve Rowlands, 9-1-1 Assistant Director Jessica Douglas, 9-1-1 Systems Administrator John Frankenhoff, 9-1-1 Dispatch Supervisor Becky Lyon

Quorum Call. Chairman Mike Farha called the meeting to order and indicated a quorum was present.

Ryan Niekamp made a motion to approve the minutes of the July 16, 2018 meeting; Jeff Bergman seconded the motion. The motion carried and the minutes were approved as distributed with no changes.

204 Fund balance. Director Rowlands reported an Emergency Telephone System Fund (Illinois 9-1-1 surcharge) balance of $966,390 as of October 15, 2018.

He noted that the County would owe $200,000 on December 1, 2018 to reimburse fund for the County’s portion of the radio project.

He also noted that, currently, $81,000 per month is being received; however, that amount will be reduced when the State 9-1-1 Administrator starts applying funds to the development and installation of the statewide NG9-1-1 network and for PSAP consolidation grants.

Jeff Bergman inquired when the reduction would begin. Director Rowlands stated this was not known, and that, at this time, it is unable to determine what the stabilized monthly revenue will be.

Project Status of VHF Simulcast Voting Receiver Radio System. Director Rowlands noted that a new phase of the project is beginning and reported that all Letters of Agreement are complete, with the exception of Adams Telephone Cooperative for the use of platform and electric at the Mendon and Liberty sites. He said that he expected that to be completed very soon.

He stated that most of the antenna systems were mounted at all 9 sites and that reinforcement and antenna installation on the Adams Electric tower in Camp Point is in progress and should be complete in the next week.

He noted that EMA Director John Simon is addressing some issues concerning the recently installed Courthouse antenna tower with the vendor.

Director Rowlands stated that WirelessUSA would begin delivering and installing equipment at the 9 sites beginning November 5, 2018.

He reported that the base contract cost for the radio project is $1,193,887.28 and that additional contingency expenditures for $118,000 were authorized for additional project and site costs were approved by the old 9-1-1 Governing Board and new Joint ETSB.

He stated that, to date, $608,243.64 has been paid to WirelessUSA and $41,580 has been paid to Adams Electric Cooperative to reinforce their tower for 9-1-1’s use.

He stated that an estimated $658,500 remains to be expended for project completion. He further stated that, upon completion of the project, $649,823.64 will be due to WirelessUSA; an estimated $9,500 will be paid to an electrical contractor for wiring at each of the 9 sites; and that a cost to move the fencing at the EMA tower for the purpose of placing a shed to house equipment under the tower is yet to be determined.

Director Rowlands said that the current final estimated total cost of the project will be approximately $1,317,500.

He noted that the estimated final project cost, taking into account the electrical work that has not been completed, currently exceeds his authority to spend by $5,568.

Director Rowlands requested the ETSB grant him the authority to expend up to an additional $25,000 for contingency from the ETSA fund for the project for expected electrical work, moving the EMA tower fence and any other unexpected cost.

Ryan Niekamp asked why additional monies for $25,000 were being requested. Director Rowlands stated that, although only approximately $5,568 will be needed, he is requesting additional for contingency should any additional unexpected costs arise.

Chairman Farha noted that that new estimated final cost for the project noted by Director Rowlands is considerably lower than expected by the previous 9-1-1 Governing Board when the radio project was first discussed.

Ryan Niekamp made a motion to authorize Director Rowlands to expend an additional $25,000 for contingency costs for the radio project from the ETSA fund. Jeff Bergman seconded the motion. The motion carried with 7 yes, 0 no, and 2 absent.

Director Rowlands stated that he is hopeful that the project will be completed by the end of this year or early next year. He further stated the transition from the old radio system to the new radio system would be a logistical challenge that would take some planning and time.

Personnel status. Director Rowlands stated that there is currently 1 Dispatch Supervisor vacancy and that there are currently 12 of 15 qualified Dispatcher positions filled with 3 probationary employees in training.

Director Rowlands stated that of the three new employees hired on August 9, 2018, two resigned within a few weeks of starting. He stated that two additional new employees were hired on September 24, 2018 and that the 9-month training and probationary period for the 3 employees in training is expected to conclude in the May/June 2019 timeframe.

Ryan Niekamp asked why the two newly hired employees resigned. Director Rowlands stated that he believed one was intimidated by the job and that the other had chosen to move home out of state.

Sue Hester asked what methods for employee retention were being considered.

Director Rowlands stated that he felt an increase in pay is necessary to attract candidates and retain employees. He stated that 9-1-1 is competing with other employers for quality applicants in the current job market and that there are less stressful jobs available that pay more. He stated he plans to budget for increased pay for the next fiscal year. He advised the ETSB that the current union contract expires on April 30, 2019 and that pay is always part of the negotiations.

Sue Hester asked if an incentive could be given for completing probation.

Director Rowlands stated that this is something that had been done in the past, but was negotiated out of the collective bargaining agreement. He said that he felt it did not have significant impact on retention. He further stated that this is something that could be looked at again in the future.

Director Rowlands stated that applications were currently being accepted and that testing and interviewing would take place before the end of the calendar year to hire a new dispatcher in January 2019 as numerical relief in order to promote a current dispatcher to the vacant Dispatch Supervisor around the beginning of the next fiscal year, May 1, 2019.

Director Rowlands reported that overtime continues to be high with mandatory overtime required.

Jeff Bergman asked how much had been spent on overtime this year.

Director Rowlands stated that he could not provide an exact dollar figure, however, the 9-1-1 Center was experiencing an average of 35 8-hour overtime shifts per month compared to approximately 8-10 8-hour overtime shifts per month in the past when our staff was at full strength and stable.

Adams County Budget for 40% of 9-1-1 Expenses. Director Rowlands stated that the Adams County budget continues and that the County’s fiscal year is December 1 through November 30.

Director Rowlands stated that Adams County reimburses the City of Quincy for 40% of 9-1-1 expenses monthly. He noted that the 60/40 budget expenses in the 202 Fund are personnel costs only, less the Director’s salary, except for QPD Starcom21 annual subscription costs and RMS annual software, licensing, repair and maintenance costs.

He stated that all other costs are paid out of the ETSA Fund, 204 Fund.

Director Rowlands stated that the County Board scheduled to approve their FY2019 budget on November 13, 2018.

FY2019-2020 9-1-1 Budget Planning. Director Rowlands noted that he would be seeking the Joint ETSB’s approval for his budget at the January 16, 2019 meeting. He stated that he would provide the board members a draft budget in mid-December and that he was looking to add two additional salaried employees to Emergency Telephone System Fund (204 Fund) budget and look to reduce the city and county’s 60%/40% budget (Fund 202) to offset any wage increase.

Old Business. Director Rowlands reported that there has been no further action at this time as a result of the Janus v. AFSCME decision.

He stated that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on April 30, 2019 and that negotiations would likely start in February/March 2019.

New Business. Director Rowlands reported that he had received informal notification from the Illinois Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator that the state would no longer continue to pay for backup 9-1-1 circuit costs for our unmanned backup PSAP located at the Courthouse. He stated that a formal letter is expected. He further stated that he had already contacted the 9-1-1 Administrator and that there will be an appeal process available to state our case. He stated that we are 1 of 19 systems statewide that may be impacted.

He noted that the Office of the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator currently pays AT&T $651 per month, or $7,812 annually, for five 9-1-1 circuits to the Courthouse PSAP and two overflow circuits from the Courthouse PSAP to Cass County 9-1-1. He stated that Cass County 9-1-1 cannot adequately handle our call volume and that all bordering counties 9-1-1 systems are served by Frontier and not AT&T.

Both John Simon and Director Rowlands noted that Cass County 9-1-1 would not be capable of dispatching our public safety agencies in the event that our primary center is down due no radio connectivity between the centers and the fact that Quincy is a city of 40,000 people and the volume of our operations would overwhelm them.

Director Rowlands noted that these costs are ETSA fund eligible if they become an expense for 9-1-1 to pay.

Executive Session. There was no Executive Session.

Next Meeting. The next quarterly meeting of the 9-1-1 Governing Board is scheduled for Wednesday, January 16, 2019.

Meeting Adjournment. Ryan Niekamp made a motion to adjourn the meeting. John Simon seconded the motion. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned.

http://www.co.adams.il.us/911/minutes/minutes181017.pdf