911 Director Renews Requests for More Help from City and County in Funding New Dispatcher Positions

April 21, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Due to increased call volume over the last 16 years, the DeKalb County Emergency Communications District (E-911) is looking to hire two more dispatchers with extra help from the City of Smithville and DeKalb County governments.

During a budget work session Monday night, 911 Director Brad Mullinax met with the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen at city hall to ask that the city increase its annual contribution to $160,000, up from $119,595.

Although he did not meet with them Tuesday night, Mullinax has made a similar request of the DeKalb County Budget Committee. Mullinax also wants the county to make repairs and improvements to the 911 center building on Mountain Street in Smithville with COVID-19 relief funds or American Rescue Plan Act money and to repave and seal the parking lot.

Mullinax first approached both the city and county to make an appeal for more dispatchers last year but his requests were not funded.

The DCECD (E-911) central dispatch center currently employs ten dispatchers, two per shift.

“The city and county each currently fund three dispatch positions and the Town of Alexandria funds us about $25,000 a year and then DeKalb County 911 picks up the other piece of that (those costs). We (911) are also responsible for all the operational costs, radio repairs, tower repairs, etc.,” said Mullinax.

The request is to add two more dispatchers ( funded one each by the city and county) in order to have three dispatchers per shift (four shifts).

“We currently staff two full time dispatchers on every shift and we have a swing shift person that works the busiest hours of the day but the time has come that we really need to look at adding an additional staff member on every shift. We request that one additional person from the city be budgeted in the upcoming fiscal year budget to where we can expand the staffing to have three people 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I have also renewed that same request to the county,” said Mullinax during his meeting with the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen Monday night.

In 2005, the DCECD was established to provide emergency and non-emergency communications services for the county and the cities of Smithville and Alexandria. It is governed by a seven member board currently made up of members Brandon Cox, Sabrina Farler, Jerry Scott, Josh Tramel, Billy Adcock, Chris Russell, and Jeff Barnes. When calls come in to the center, dispatchers alert city police and sheriff’s department officers, DeKalb EMS, as well as city and county fire departments to respond. Under the inter-local agreement, the cities and county make annual payments to support the DCECD operation. The district also receives funding from surcharges assessed to residential and business landline telephone subscribers for 911 services as authorized by the state. The DCECD is also responsible for assigning addresses to conform with state standards for 911 mapping.

As he had done last year, Mullinax informed the Mayor and Aldermen Monday night that the call volume within the last 16 years has almost doubled for the 911 center and more dispatchers are needed to better serve the public.

“We have reached the point where we have about outgrown ourselves,” said Mullinax.

“In 2006 we ran a total of 10,814 calls and in 2019 our annual call volume was 19,406. That is about a 90% increase in call volume over 15 years,” said Mullinax in his remarks last year.

“During that time agencies have also expanded as well. We now have a part time or a combination type fire department for the City of Smithville. The Smithville Police Department has doubled its officer coverage since 2005. DeKalb EMS has added an extra EMS unit. We have added two additional National Crime Information Center (NCIC) terminals at 911 for entering warrants, checking for wanted persons, entering protection orders, and everything else that keeps our community safe. The DeKalb County Fire Department has added two new fire stations and the Sheriff’s Department has about three times the number of deputies now than in 2005 plus they have added a school resource officer at every single school,” Mullinax said.

Another concern is that the Smithville and DeKalb County law enforcement agencies and Smithville Fire Department have to share the same radio frequency. Mullinax said the problem could be addressed by adding more dispatchers and making use of another available radio frequency to separate the departments on the air.

“This is a safety concern because for example if we were to have a major structure fire and then get a separate call at the same time from an officer for backup assistance then the officer’s call might get missed because they are on the same radio frequency. We have a radio system that belongs to the city and a frequency where we can actually move the city’s radio police and fire off of the county sheriff’s department frequency and give them more talking time but I don’t have the staff right now to monitor that other channel. We could with another employee,” said Mullinax

Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins and Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker say they too would like to see the city police and fire departments have their own radio frequency.

No action has yet been taken on Mullinax’s renewed budget requests.

April 21, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Leaders of the DeKalb County Farmers Market are seeking funding from the county for a new outdoor digital sign to promote events there and at the county complex.

Farmers Market President Eddie Ray and Treasurer Connie Tjarks addressed the county budget committee Tuesday night.

Last summer the budget committee had recommended appropriating $40,000 from the capital projects fund of the budget for a new outdoor LED sign for the county complex and Farmers Market to advertise events there but it was stripped out of the budget by the county commission.

The Farmers Market is located on East Bryant Street right beside DeKalb Ace Hardware and the county complex Building but Tjarks said many people can’t find it because it’s not visible from South Congress Boulevard.

“There are several reasons we need it. One is we are here almost every Saturday from April to November and when people discover us many say they didn’t know we were there. We are really hidden behind ACE Hardware. You can’t see us from the highway. About the only way is if you are going down the side street (East Bryant Street). The sign would be great for us. We could advertise what were are offering on a given Saturday such as tomatoes, onions, or whatever. We have ten vendors who are there every week and twenty who come and go according to whatever produce they have. It would also be good for the county complex to advertise events inside like the Women’s Expo (which was held last weekend) or whatever happens to be going on at the complex at the time. It’s a dual purpose thing,” said Tjarks.

“You could advertise the Jamboree and the DeKalb County Fair (on the sign). There’s a lot of stuff that could go on that (sign) to really benefit this community and the county. We are a non-profit. We just pay our utilities and keep up insurance so we’re at your mercy so if you could help us with a sign we sure would appreciate it,” said Ray.

No action has yet been taken.

April 21, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he was making four nominations for the TVA Board.

They include DeKalb County native and former Alexandria resident Beth Prichard Geer. The others are Robert P. “Bobby” Klein, Kimberly Lewis and Michelle Moore.

According to the White House, Beth Prichard Geer is Chief of Staff to former Vice President Al Gore and serves as a member of Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s Sustainability Advisory Committee. Geer has extensive policy and outreach experience on issues including climate change, environmental justice, and regenerative agriculture. She has served in senior roles in the Clinton-Gore White House, Department of Labor, and United States Senate. As a native of rural Tennessee, she graduated with honors from Middle Tennessee State University and earned the Public Leadership Executive Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Managers in Government program. She resides in Brentwood, Tennessee with her husband, Dr. John Geer.

Geer is the daughter of Marlene Prichard of Alexandria and the late Thomas Earl Prichard.