Sep. 7—JAMESTOWN — Leaders of their departments told the Stutsman County Commission on Tuesday, Sept. 6, that they are dealing with worker shortages, which is leading to lots of hours of overtime, and asked for a 10.6% raise instead of a 6% wage increase.
"Recently the commission approved a 6% wage increase for our team," said Josh Greeney, one of the supervisors of the Stutsman County Communications Center. "While the increase is appreciated by our team and will help incentivize new hire applicants to apply, we do not believe it's enough to sustain the center through this staffing crisis."
He said staff knows the Stutsman County budget is tight but believes the 10.6% increase is an important component to recruiting and retaining employees.
The Stutsman County Commission recently approved a 4% cost-of-living adjustment and 2% step raise.
The county commission took no action on the request for the wage increase to 10.6%.
Stutsman County Emergency Manager Andrew Kirking said another Stutsman County Communications Center employee resigned, which will leave eight employees in the center. He said having eight employees will force the center to pay for mandatory overtime.
With a staff of eight people in the center, employees will be required to work 16 hours of mandatory overtime per week. He said if the staff stays at eight people, it will cost about $67,000 per year mandatory overtime.
"That is a dispatcher and a half right there," he said.
If the center is left with seven employees, he said each dispatcher will need to work eight hours of overtime per week.
"I'm at the point now where I need to keep people and try to make the people I have feel content and appreciated with the sacrifice they are making for everybody here," he said.
The regular methods of recruitment and retention haven't worked to bring in fresh, dedicated employees and retain valuable long-time employees, Greeney said. He said the center has been operating with two fewer full-time staff since October 2021.
He said the supervisor team has worked diligently with staff to relieve the excess stress of the work environment and boost morale.
"This includes items as minimal as small token thanks like pizza or a pick-me-up gifts and as large as redefining the entire schedule to maximize the work-home balance, center efficiency and the 24/7 operability all without faltering from the standards held by our team for the residents and agencies we proudly serve," he said.
The Stutsman County Communications Center has processed over 18,000 calls for service for more than 35 different agencies in the area, Greeney said.