Lee's Summit dispatcher urges pay equity for communications staff ahead of Joint Operations Center move

At the April 20 Finance & Budget Committee meeting, Elizabeth Hoon identified herself as a Greenwood resident who has served the Lee's Summit Police Department for 19½ years and currently works as a lead communication specialist. Speaking during public comment, Hoon said a widening pay gap between police and fire communications staff has eroded morale, driven departures and forced the department to reassign sworn officers to dispatch roles to keep 24/7 coverage.

"When pay is not competitive, we are not just losing employees, we are driving them away," Hoon told the committee, describing a period when staffing fell to nine of 18 authorized positions and the department relied on 400 to 600 hours of overtime each month. She said the department has since rebuilt to 17 employees (authorized staffing: 22) but that two people were resigning this month and the situation remained fragile. Hoon urged timely corrective action so the city does not lose personnel after moving into the Joint Operations Center on May 26.

Hoon cited the city’s 2017 agreement with International Association of Firefighters Local 2195, the 2019 IAFF contract and a 2020 audit by Mission Critical Partners that warned of consolidation risks if pay disparities are not addressed. "This is the moment to act," she said, asking the committee to pursue "fair and equitable compensation" for communications specialists.

Committee members responded that the issue was heard and would be considered during the budget process; no formal action or funding decision was made during the April 20 meeting. The topic was referenced later in the budget discussion as city staff and council considered pay and classification studies, core-range increases, and the timing of implementing collective-bargaining costs.