Central Dispatch reports 2025 call volumes and a 72% drop in overtime

Renee Crick, presenting the central-dispatch year-end report, told the Clinton County commissioners the dispatch center handled 37,630 calls for service in 2025 and a combined total of 39,779 calls, including 12,906 911 calls and 26,873 administrative calls.

Crick said the office recorded a 9% call-volume increase over 2024 but emphasized a major staffing success: "this was the first year that we have never had to do an additional appropriation for our dispatch line item," and staff saw a "reduction of 72% in our overtime hours." She credited hiring additional staff, a revised testing and selection process, and increased training (1,400 total training hours among dispatchers) for the improvement.

She described continued use of text-to-911 for callers who cannot make a voice call, saying the center received 64 caller-initiated texts and sends texts to check on hang-up calls. Crick also outlined continuity steps taken after a recent evacuation: staff used a "go kit" (laptops and phone system) and routed 911 rollover calls to Boone County until systems were restored.

EMA also reported receiving an Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) award of $44,827 to reimburse salary costs for emergency-management staff; the EMA representative described recent trainings and a windshield-assessment app for documenting storm damage.

Commissioners asked operational questions about evacuation downtime and server upgrades; Crick said the transfer and setup process can produce some downtime but that rollover agreements with Boone County preserve 911 coverage.