County to meet on 911 services scheduled for July 23

CRYSTAL FALLS — The Iron County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting July 23 at 4 p.m. to discuss bids for outsourcing services currently handled by Iron County Central Dispatch.
Efforts to outsource the county’s 911 services failed last year, amid public pressure to keep them local. The outsourcing initiative, originally spearheaded by board Chairman Mark Stauber, resurfaced when Central Dispatch Director Ashley Schmidt requested the board approve a pay raise for dispatchers to help with staffing issues. A May 23 special meeting of the county board to discuss Central Dispatch staffing issues quickly turned into a pursuit to outsource, when commissioners approved a measure to send out a request for proposals.
“Dispatch and the 911 Advisory Board have not been involved in the process whatsoever and weren’t even made aware that [the RFP] was sent out,” Schmidt told the Reporter.

The RFP went to Dickinson, Delta, Menominee and Marquette counties as well as Negaunee Regional. Negaunee now handles Gogebic County’s 911 services, which were previously handled by Iron County Central Dispatch. Interested parties have until July 15 to submit a bid, and the bids will be opened July 16.

“The Iron County Board of Commissioners will review and give [the] final award (if any) at a board meeting,” scheduled for July 23, according to the county’s notice for receiving proposals.

Last year, following threats to outsource met with public outcry, voters approved a millage renewal and a new millage to help fund local 911 services. The renewal passed with 73% voting in favor, and the new millage request was approved by 63% of voters.

The total millage rate between the two is 1.25, generating roughly $850,000 this year in taxpayer dollars for Central Dispatch.
“The taxpayers of Iron County, through a millage, fund most of the $1,012,000 Central Dispatch budget for 2025,” County Administrator Lynette Lorenz told the Reporter.

The remainder of the money comes through the State of Michigan via wireless surcharge fees.

There is no allocation from the county’s general fund to Central Dispatch slated for 2025. The agency received $40,000 in 2022 and 2023, and $30,000 from the county’s general fund in 2024.

“With the new millage, this year our revenues are over $1 million and last year our expenditures were under $700,000,” Schmidt said. “So, when the board says there is no money for a wage increase to make wages competitive with surrounding counties — that is not entirely true. There’s also a fund balance of just under $400,000.”

While commissioners have not explicitly stated a lack of funds for wage increases, Stauber has been critical of the cost to taxpayers posed by Central Dispatch for some time. Other commissioners have framed their recent shift to support the RFP process as an exploratory measure.
The board approved a similar request for increased wages from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office in the summer of 2023. That wage adjustment was an, “increase of $5 per hour for patrol deputies and sergeants earning $2 an hour, in addition to the road deputy hourly rate.”

The purpose of the approved increase was due to the, “ongoing difficulty with recruitment and retention of law enforcement and the reasons why we can’t fill these positions (wages and benefits),” according to the county’s August 2023 meeting minutes.

The 911 Advisory Board will meet on July 17 at the Bates Township Hall to discuss the county’s request for proposals and, “issues that will arise if they outsource,” Schmidt said.