There might be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Shawano County Dispatch Center. At least a little light.
While there still remain four vacancies among 16 positions, Kasey Cross, communications supervisor, told the public safety committee Aug. 6 that a new dispatcher will start Aug. 11, training on the night shift.
However, a full-time employee is resigning effective Aug. 24 for a position with the Menominee Tribal Rescue Service.
Interviews were held July 30 with many strong candidates, and another 11 are set to be interviewed soon. Three dispatchers are currently in training.
“Right now, we’re kind of at a standstill, because onboarding is being held up for our training to get done, so I have trainers,” Cross said.
To help retain employees, Cross is working with Julie Hasser, human resources manager, to add a supervisory layer in the department to mirror what is done with patrol deputies and correctional officers, and to offer some upward mobility within the department.
“I’m hoping to keep them engaged and want to stay here with us for a potential for advancement,” Cross said.
Pay raises for supervisors would be paid for through the vacancies at the department, including the 16th position Cross is willing to give up completely.
“We want to give up the 16th position in dispatch and the extra position in the jail,” Sheriff George Lenzner said. “We’re going to ask for weekend premium with money we’re saving from those positions.
“Our biggest hurdle has been to retain employees. They are leaving for other counties.”
All county department heads are meeting with the county executive committee to make their case for their 2026 budget requests.
Ty Raddant, chief deputy, echoed the comments about staff.
“In the last five years, we hired 19 people,” he said. “Ten have been local, and nine have been from the outside.”
Of the 10 local candidates, five were let go when they failed the training. Four of the other five left on their own for various reasons.
“If we haven’t got to the point where we pretty much drained our resources locally, we’re getting close to it,” he said.
Lenzner said the newest dispatcher was offered a job with Brown County that was willing to pay $2.50 per hour more, not counting a shift differential or weekend premium pay.
All Oconto County dispatchers and corrections officers are paid an additional $2 per hour hazard pay, plus night shift differential and weekend premiums.
Some executive committee members have consistently opposed a shift differential or weekend premium for the sheriff’s department, because they said all other department heads would want the same, and the county cannot afford that.
Hasser and sheriff’s department officials met with all the department heads recently. She said they were all supportive of the extra pay for the sheriff’s department, because they understand it’s a 24/7 job.
Other department employees are paid overtime if they work weekends.
“The other department heads were really supportive of these changes,” she said.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
