E911 Authority - Regular Meeting

All right, good morning everyone. Sorry I'm late, but we'll get we'll get rolling. [snorts] Um, so I'll call this meeting of the Lake County E911 to order. It's uh 10:10 on uh December 5th, 2025. Does anyone have any changes to the agenda? No. Um, I would like to change item number three just to clarify the language on it that it's a not only just a discussion item, but a discussion and consideration for the uh amendment to the budget. Oh, true. There's no other changes. Um, make a motion to approve today's agenda. I make a motion.

I'll second. Uh, no further discussion. All right. All in favor? All right. [clears throat] Okay. Sorry, I got ahead of you. Somebody's in a hurry. [laughter] Um, okay. Move on to director reports. I'll start off. I don't uh have anything. I don't have anything. I move down the line. No, Sarah,

sorry, didn't find my mouse. Um, the only report I have is um I got the uh quote for our DMS, which is um basically an online platform where we can track traininee progress, CTO progress, trainings. Um we can also put all of our SOPs into that platform. Um it's a really awesome program. Um I've used it both as the traininee and as a trainer. Um and it's really really beneficial to um to both. It cuts our CTO's documentation time in half. Um but it it has to have approval from both the trainee and the trainer. Um and if there's issues, it can get escalated. But it's a great way to document um everything that they've done in their training. um such as you've taken five out of six traffic stops. Um you've reviewed our SOPs. It's a great great tracking form for that. Um there's some new things with it since I've last used it. So we can actually tie it into our current CAD system. So we can upload that call into the trainer or into the trainee form. Um and then we can also start training unttracking our our actual dispatchers like our CTO's program. Um, so when they go through training, we can document all of that as well. Um, [clears throat] so I did send that over to the sheriff. Um, it is just over 10,000 for two years. The first year is more expensive. That's just the initial startup cost. Um, so that is about 6,500 and then every year after that it's just over 4,000.

Awesome. Did they send us a contract too? Um he sort of um he was waiting for the board to give approval. Um I've got a meeting with him on Wednesday next week to give him that update. Um but he did say he could start it with a start date in January for the 2026 budget. Okay. Yeah. If we can get all that information sent over to us um so we can get it all reviewed and and maybe we can make that an agenda item for January to get to look at that and approve it. All right. Sounds good. I can do that. Anything else? No.

All right. Well, seeing there's nobody here to join us, we'll move on past public comment and move on to new business and discussion. And our our first item, item number one, um is a report from Jackie with the 911 solution. So, Jackie, the floor is yours. Okay. I'm going to share my report. Um I need that enabled or I can email it to somebody. Oh, there we go. Wait. No, it's disabled.

Try now, Jackie.

Aha, there we are. Can you guys see that? Okay. All right. Um, so, so far we we got the contract signed. Thank you. Um but I did um gather all the telephone provider names. Um I scanned all the um available 24 and 20 25 um remittance statements. That's the statements that tells you how much each company is remitting um and how many lines they're reporting. Um I met with Sarah to determine needs for budgeting and um Sarah and I will need to schedule another meeting. I haven't done that yet. Um, and in 2025, there are 44 providers remitting the emergency telephone charge to Lake County. A few of them are only remitting on a quarterly basis um and possibly an annual basis. And so I will be sending notices to them that state statute requires them to remit monthly even though it's a two-month behind. So they have 60 days to remit for the present month. So, they're always in a rears by 2 months. Um, I did send the notifications to increase your search charge um from the 212 to 217, which is a 2.3% um increase in your search charges. Um, and I sent that out on December 2nd, which gives them the 60 days to go into effect by February 1. Okay. Um, and I will be checking. The the um issue with being able to check is I won't be able to check until April or May, the beginning of May really to see if they've increased their search charges. So, in May, I will definitely be coming back to um get all the um remittances gathered so that we can make sure that they've increased their search charges. And if they

haven't, I will then also notify them that they need to do this. Sometimes it's an ongoing little back and forth between the telephone providers. Um the tariff amendment for geospatial routing did go into effect November 3rd. Um what that and it will increase the n the cost for your 911 lines. Um 152.49 per month. I think you guys have two concurrent sessions or three. Um I'm not sure. Sarah, do you know? I don't know, but I can look into it.

I'll find out. Um, but anyway, it'll increase your monthly billing from Centry Link for your 911 lines. The um state search charge was increased um in October to cover this cost. So, it's that state the statewide search charge that reimbures you for the 911 lines. Um so it will increase to to cover that extra charge. Um the other thing you will probably need with the GIS um routing is we will need to make sure we have good um PAP boundary um GIS layer and then if it differs [clears throat] from your actual county um then we'll need to do something different. But if it's the same as your actual county, um that's what they will need to move forward with the geospatial routing for GIS. Um there was a company hired to make sure those boundaries are all correct. Um and so all we have to do is submit the PAP boundaries. Um let's see. And then I went into a little bit of legislation. They're trying to clarify the definition of prepaid wireless because a company um protested to do who collects those search charges. Um and their advice letter said that the definition does not meet their business model and so they are not required to pay. Um and so we're trying to update the definition of prepaid wireless to meet what they currently do versus what they did 15 years ago when the legislation was first written. Um and that um legislation will also help with 988 and um TRS um search charges because they all follow the same definition. We do have a sponsor and it is in drafting at this moment. Um the state is also trying to find funding for

the digital digital trunk radio system. Um and some members of Congress feel that um the money funding should come from some of the 911 funding. Um and we've been trying to um educate the legislators on the use of our 911 funding and to let us have the 911 funding and come up with another way to support um financially the DTRS system. And I will be sending you a email Sarah about a letter of authority um for line counts and cell site data because we talked about getting your cells site data. Awesome. Thank you. And that's where I am so far.

Great. Are there any any questions? uh if you if you want any help with your on the legislative front, I'd be happy to go down and testify to anything and that would help our overall mission. So and um and I've caught you a couple times in a treasur's office swimming through piles of papers, so thanks for doing all that. Um how are we looking for 25 on remittance?

We're looking all right. Um but I don't really have anything to compare it to. I have 24 and 25. Um, and it looks okay. I would love to find 23 because tw to kind of compare, you know, to make sure that you know the comparison. Um, and so we're looking pretty good. Um, it looks like everybody's paying. Um, I would like to and I probably will in this process send out a more broad email to all the providers to make sure they check that they're paying properly um to Lake County um just because you know sometimes they might be remitting everything to one county instead of remitting where they should and don't know that you know where to remmit. So, um I will probably do like a whole big email, which is always fun, but [laughter] that just says to all the companies, Lake County expects this. And um um I will bring to the board next board meeting probably a remittance form that I would like to see them use. Um the remittance form kind of standardizes everything. Um, and because one of the things I noticed on the remittance forms is they don't have they don't provide a telephone number or a current email and that makes it really difficult to follow up if there is an issue. Um, and so I did ask in my email to make sure they include a current email and phone number on their remittance statements.

Okay, great. I like it. Yep. Any questions for Jackie? Oh, thanks for doing all that, Jackie. That's awesome. You're welcome. And I will sorry about the late in the report. I will shoot the report to you so you have it for your minute, your agenda, your minute. Okay, great. Thanks. Sounds good. All right, move on to item number two. Uh discussion on personnel budget by Sarah.

Yeah. So, um, kind of talked it through, um, with the sheriff the other day when he was showing me all his fun numbers that he's done for dispatch. Um, and I think right now we're going to hold off probably until 2027 to adjust Sarah Keenan's position because she's showing as a full-time in the budget, but we're not budgeting her at a full-time rate. We're still budging her at that part-time. Um, and then we're hope I'm hopeful to try to get the supervisor positions posted by the end of February. Um, if when that happens, if Daniela or Mary end up getting those positions and that opens up the other full-time positions for dispatch. So, as of right now, I think our personnel budget is fine for the rest of the year. Just looking at that. Um, I did get another email today. We've got another applicant that has applied for full-time. So, we've got three applicants in the hiring process right now. Um, two of them have already been sent the critical test. So, checking to see if they've got that completed and then we can start looking to move people from there.

Yeah. So, we talked about um Sarah using those different positions for part-time use. Yum, splitting positions and whatnot. [clears throat and cough] On the personnel, we they talked about um switching the actual shifts up. Sarah, is that going to have any effect on the on the budget by doing that when you put them in the new schedule?

Yes. So, the only effect it'll have on the budget is cutting our part or our overtime down. Um, so we will be switching to a 40hour work week. Um, it does put it about 20 hours a month minimum for overtime. Um that's not including covering shifts or if people call out sick or if we have to pull in an additional dispatcher for you know any type of event or anything. Um but it should roughly cut our overtime base in half. Um and we do switch at the beginning of January that first week we go to our 10-hour schedule. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, absolutely.

Cool. Any questions for Sarah? All right. Well, we'll move on to item three is uh discussion and consideration uh to amend the 2026 budget. And I just realized I forgot to send that to the VOCC email. So, let me do that real quick so you guys can see it. So, while that's being sent, what what happened was we approved the budget. And then I got with Will and County Finance to finalize the numbers to make sure we're down to the penny correct. And what we missed were a couple small items on personnel. So there's uh a health savings account that one employee has that we need to account for. And then it's automatically applied to two of the vacancies. And so what this does is it adjusts some of the um the uh benefits. And so we weren't to the penny anymore. Um, it was a little over a $2,000 difference. So, I attached both items. The one on the right is what we went through and improved [clears throat] last time, and then the one on the left is the new one. And we can go through those changes. And then we we essentially have two two options on how we manage that.

Come on. [snorts] [clears throat] Okay. So, this is Okay. So, this is the one that we're looking to approve today as the amended budget. Um, so if you go down to expenditures, uh, we'll start off with those changes there. Uh, the first one is the salaries and wages. And so this is where the um the free health savings accounts uh were not accounted for in the first budget. So it increased it by $900 and with some rounding it's actually $900 and one one penny. So we got that updated. Uh so it's precisely what the county has. Um and then FICA was adjusted by $977.73. So this one represents that change. And then Medicare uh went up $22867. again that one. This one represents that change. And then the final one was um the unemployment was went up $31.54. So it's a total of $2,137.95 that um increased from what we approved. Um but now we're in alignment with the with the county numbers. And so this is the budget that I'm proposing that we approved today. Um there are two options essentially. Um, if you scroll back up to how we handle this from a revenue standpoint, um, we we talked about and approved a, uh, using our fund balance um, to balance our budget uh, which was at $230,000. Uh, this option here represents that coming from the fund balance. So that's where the extra $2,137.95

comes from. Um there is also an option where we uh split this in the IGA payment and um and those numbers would increase for uh each one of our agencies to pay out. So um again this is the one I'm recommending where we don't change the intergovernmental agreement payment um because I believe at this point all our agencies are pretty set on the amounts listed there. And if we change those up, I think that would um be I think doable, I'm guessing, at this point, but it's kind of final hour, last minute to make an adjustment on what those payments are expected to be. Um, and there's still, you know, we do our best to predict what 2026 will look like, but we we also have we could still end up um in the positives if we don't hire all the positions we're trying to hire. And for so for me it makes sense to to say that if we're uh off that $2,137.95 that we use the you know the the overage we have in our current fund balance to absorb that if we end up [clears throat] needing to. So any questions

would that deplete your fund balance from 911? Uh, yep. Pre we pre-planned to deplete it by 230,000. Um, if we hit all our expenditure numbers and so this increases that depletion by another 2,000, a little over 2,000. Um, again, and that's if we hit those um expenditure numbers that we plan for. Big question as we go into 26 is we currently have four vacancies. So, okay. So you'd still have roughly 230 in fund balance. Oh no, we would have I think I don't remember the exact number actually. Yeah, that doesn't deplete their fund. No. Yeah, it it depletes it down to

it reduces it. Yeah, a level that we agreed on to run it for 3 months or something. Yeah, not even that much. We left more in there in case we wanted to roll over into [cough] 27. [clears throat] But it looks like um if everything lines up, we'd still have $571,000 in our fund balance, which is uh you know, probably uh 5 1.5 6 months worth of expenditures. Great. Thank you so much. Yeah. [snorts] Since we're talking numbers, did we account for the 15249 on the phone lines and how and how is that covered? Um do we have a buffer in that in a line item?

No. So that's a new number for us. But, uh, Jackie, you were saying that the state charges are adjusting, so that's covered. That's correct. Um, you you will I and I'll get with you guys. Um, I was thinking about that the other day. Just send me who to send this information to and we'll figure out which bill it goes to so that it's properly reflected in your budget. But yes, it will um increase, but then on the other end, the revenue you receive from the state should cover.

Okay. But no, we didn't add that into an expense and a revenue item and uh Candace County still set to approve the budget for the 11th. Yes. Which is next Tuesday. Say that 16th. I think it's Thursday. Thursday. Thursday. Okay. But next week. Yeah. Okay. Okay. It's on the 11th. Whatever day of the week or I think it's Thursday. Yeah. Thursday. Yeah. Is that cuz is that for all all budgets or Oh,

yeah. When we have to we have to adopt our budget statutoily before the 15th. And I think the 15th is on the weekend. Yeah. What What time is that? It is at 9:00 a.m. [clears throat] 9 to 1.

All right. Any other questions on this? I'll make a motion to amend our 2026 budget. Second. Okay. Any further discussion? All in favor? I move [clears throat] on to approval of minutes. We have November minutes that were shared. Any questions on those? Jeremiah, thanks for doing those.

Yeah, of course. Make a motion to approve the minutes from November. Second. Any further discussion? All in favor of approving November minutes? I I Okay. All right. Uh, next meeting, first Friday is January 2nd. Um, I wanted to ask you guys if we should move that to January 8th if there's going to be a lot of people out of town for the that holiday break. School's out. Are we all good for the second still? It's fine, man. Yeah, works for me also. It might be your remote. Okay, I [snorts] might be too. Actually, it might not be me. I know. [laughter]

Ryan, when does when does he come? [snorts] The 12th, I've heard. Is that correct? Yeah. 12. Okay. Okay. All right. So, we might have a new board member then. I don't know what the process is to do that, but you just tell me what I will. I will. We'll do it. It's fairly easy. So, okay. All right. All right, we'll stick with January 2nd then as our next meeting. And [snorts] even though it's late, we're still getting this closed out quickly for everyone. So, I appreciate everybody's patience waiting for me. And we'll adjourn this meeting at uh 10:34 a.m. Thanks. Thanks everyone. Thanks.

Is that a record? 24 minutes. [snorts] Okay. And then you got to pause the recording.