By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
Clark County’s legislative body created new job positions to include four 911 dispatchers ahead of a statewide push to consolidate 911 call centers.
In a light meeting Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, justices of the peace voted unanimously to add the positions, although it wasn’t made clear exactly when a 911 merger will take effect in Clark County.
A state law passed in 2019 consolidates 911 operations in counties with multiple Public Safety Answering Points, or PSAPs, to one central location.
The 2019 law cuts the number of PSAPs statewide from about 114 to 82 total. The state’s three most populous counties — Pulaski, Benton and Washington — are being alotted three PSAPs apiece.
With the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Arkadelphia Police Department each having a PSAP, Clark has been one of 14 Arkansas counties with more than one PSAP.
The 911 consolidation will merge county and city dispatchers into one location — likely in the same wing of the courthouse that houses the Office of Emergency Management, according to officials with latest knowledge of the decisions.
The consolidation is expected to streamline emergency communications. Currently, most 911 calls made in the city are routed to a county dispatcher, who then transfers the call to the city. Any 911 call made from a cell phone is routed to the county’s PSAP.
The court’s Personnel Committee had previously favored the addition of four new dispatcher positions and a supervisor position, and a subsequent recommendation from the Budget Committee included a nearly $6,000 base pay increase for county dispatchers to match what city dispatchers earn. However, given the step bonuses received for years of service, each of the county’s six dispatchers earn above the newly set base pay.
911 centers across the state are expected to consolidate by a January 2025 deadline.
Justices give nod to buy 3 homes
In other business, justices adopted a resolution authorizing county Judge Troy Tucker to purchase three properties — two duplexes and a single-family dwelling — on South 4th Street, across from the courthouse.
The court in September earmarked $200,000 from federal ARPA funding toward the purchase of the homes. Since then, a sale price of $180,000 had been negotiated with seller Ron Addington. A title search and closing fees brought the final price to $180,507.
Prior to adjourning the meeting, Tucker reported that the latest audit report showed the county had no findings of non-compliance.
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