The 9-1-1 Administrative Board approved the funding of three new positions on Tuesday, although the move needs a green light from the MECA board as well as the Jefferson County Quorum Court.
The 9-1-1 board is responsible for administering money that is collected from landline and cell phone bills, as well as from other sources, and moving those funds to the Metropolitan Emergency Communications Association. MECA then pays for, among other things, the operation of the call center, which handles all emergency calls for all public safety agencies in the county.
Karen Blevins, director of the Office of Emergency Management and MECA, made the proposal, saying the workload had reached a level where more employees were needed.
Two of the hires would work in the call center and a third person would enter warrants and protective orders, allowing for each 9-1-1 shift to have seven people instead of six.
"The workload has increased a lot -- especially with the increase from the Pine Bluff Police Department," she said, "and we would like to request to move more money from the 9-1-1 fund to MECA."
"So the money is there?" asked White Hall Mayor Noel Foster, chair of the 9-1-1 board.
Blevins said yes, the money -- $95,000 -- had already been collected or would be collected.
Foster then made a motion to move the requested money, and the measure passed unanimously.
Blevins said the expense of hiring three new employees would still require the public safety agencies across the county to contribute a total of an additional $36,000 to MECA, a move that might give that board a reason to deny the hiring request.
The MECA board meets today and is expected to take up the matter.
As far as the county's hiring freeze, Blevins said MECA is exempt from that.
"We still have two more hurdles," Blevins said.
Blevins said the 9-1-1 call center's work has increased to some extent from the various initiatives put in place by Pine Bluff Police Chief Lloyd Franklin Sr. Those initiatives have included stepping up the enforcement of traffic violations in an attempt to quell more serious crimes. Blevins said the increase in police enforcement has required additional people in the call center.
"When those happen in Pine Bluff," she said, "we always have to call in extra help."
Out of the $36,000 that would come from the various agencies, the Pine Bluff Police Department would pay 70%, a figure that is based on population, although Blevins said the Pine Bluff department likely accounts for 90% of the additional work that is now required.