With a continually growing population locally, Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe explained plans for future expansion of emergency dispatch capabilities during Monday’s meeting of the Monroe County Board.

Scheibe began with his annual emergency telephone system fiscal report, which was published in the Dec. 11, 2024, issue of the Republic-Times.

With revenue of just under $800,000 and expenditures just over $1 million, the county’s 911 operations lost money last year after being profitable for several years prior.

Scheibe explained there were two unique expenses in the past fiscal year.

These “major” expenses included an update to the Nokia microwave transmission towers in Monroe County which are used for statewide dispatching.

Another costly project was installation of a new generator at the Monroe County Courthouse in April.

The old generator was sent for repairs. When that project is completed, it will serve as an electric power backup for the Monroe County EMS station located at the Monroe County Annex Building in Waterloo.

That generator is expected to be installed sometime later this year.

The tower and generator projects accounted for the deficit in the 911 department 

Scheibe also reported the $92,146 paid to Nelson Systems for call recording capability was mostly covered by grant funding of about $78,000.

Scheibe said he applies for and receives a “tremendous amount of grants” for the county’s 911 department.

In the 2024 fiscal year, nearly $170,000 in state grants were awarded. In 2023, local emergency dispatch operations received nearly $278,000 in federal grant money.

Commissioner Vicki Koerber said she would like to see a breakdown of all the grants received in the annual report, thanking Scheibe for his diligence in seeking grant funding.

While a 911 financial report filing is required by the state, Scheibe presented another report about the call volume of the dispatch centers in Waterloo and Columbia.

About two-thirds of all calls are handled by Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, with the other one-third going through Columbia Police Department telecommunication personnel.

The MCSD also handles dispatching responsibilities for Waterloo, Valmeyer, Maeystown and Hecker.

Scheibe noted that all county emergency services are dispatched through both centers, with calls forwarded to either department as personnel are available during times of heavy call volume.

He noted the especially large number of service calls received in Monroe County.

In 2024, the amount of “events” – situations during which a police, fire or EMS department responds – totaled 49,722.

A majority of these events were for law enforcement at 44,308, with about 4,294 EMS events and 1,120 fire events. 

In addition to the nearly 50,000 dispatched events, Monroe County and Columbia telecommunication personnel also answered 47,600 calls which did not require a response or were non-emergency or informational in nature.

The total calls per day average 136 “event” calls and 130 non-emergency calls. 

As those figures continue to climb annually, Scheibe expressed a desire to add a third dispatcher to the county’s emergency response system. 

He clarified there are usually two telecommunicators working in the Waterloo center at the same time. A third person would allow the other two to focus on radio communication with police, fire and EMS personnel.

Scheibe told commissioners he plans on adding to the 911 budget to accommodate additional staff.

He added the updated county dispatch completed in 2022 was constructed with growth in mind.

Scheibe said the design allows for up to six emergency communication staff to be on duty simultaneously.

Commissioners agreed with Scheibe’s projection for additional 911 personnel.

Monroe County Board Chairman George Green complimented  the work of the county dispatch team, also applauding Scheibe’s management of the emergency dispatch department.

In other business, the board approved the Oak Hill tentative collective bargaining agreement, which had already been approved by the United Steelworkers, the labor union representing Oak Hill employees.

During public comment, frequent meeting attendee Pat Kelly once again questioned the status of the building at 107 E. Mill Street which formerly housed the Monroe-Randolph Regional Office of Education.

The building, owned by Monroe County, has remained vacant after the ROE relocated to Red Bud in 2023.

Green reported the office of the Monroe County Supervisor of Assessments will be temporarily moved from the courthouse to the Mill Street building.

Green said the current assessor’s office is in need of “serious remodeling,” and that project should be completed by the middle of this year, after which the county will begin renting  its Mill Street building.

The board approved a proclamation presented by Karen Schrader and Gale Mueller of the Monroe County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.

This proclamation designates March 18 as National Agriculture Day in Monroe County as part of National Agriculture Week.

The proclamation recognizes and celebrates the vital role of American farmers in providing not only food but a wide array of products such as biofuels and textiles. It also urged citizens to appreciate the work of the farmer and  to understand the impact of agriculture on everyday life.