From Staff Reports 

In what was billed as an effort to address critical staffing shortages within the Buncombe County 911 Call Center, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a pay stipend for the center’s staff during its March 21 meeting. 

“As the county grapples with high call volumes, an understaffed call center reliant on outside agencies to maintain operations, and long call and response times, we (the commissioners) are working on a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing the volume of nonemergency calls, bolstering dispatcher recruitment and retainment, and other measures to help alleviate the volume of work,” according to a county press release, dated March 21 and updated March 24.

“We really need to look at the base pay… We want to attract people long term beyond getting through the near-term needs,” Commissions’ Chairman Brownie Newman was quoted as saying in the release. “This has always been an important job and it’s never been easy. I think it’s tougher today than it’s ever been, and we need to value that. Thank you for all your work.”

Further, the release noted,
“The stipend pay will be for all telecommunicators who have been with the county for at least six months. The stipend will be for each regular shift...”

The stipend, which varies by shift, adds an extra $8/hour for weekdays ($96 total), $12/hour for weeknights ($144 total), $15/hour for weekend days ($180 total) and $20/hour for weekend nights ($240 total).

The release added, “Additionally, the county is working on the following short- and long-term strategies to help Public Safety Communications (911): 

• “Developing a campaign to reduce nonemergency calls going to 911 

• “Decreasing the number of alarm dispatch automated calls to 911 

• “Contracting additional support for training, recruitment, and quality assurance 

• “Providing operational and management support from other county agencies 

• “Improving Call Center amenities and technology  

• “Refining Call Center processes and policies” 

The county press release concluded by noting, “Staffing at the 911 Call Center has long been a priority for the Board of Commissioners, as they have approved various initiatives, such as double-time pay, shift-differential pay, provided up-to-date equipment and purchased new vehicles for EMS.”