By Laura Arenschield
The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
MARION, Ohio — Marion County’s sheriff is trying some creative funding to replace staff members lost to budget cuts over the past few years: He’s charging the county’s fire departments $2 per resident to cover the cost of a new dispatcher.
If all 10 fire departments within the county sign on, the plan would raise $59,322, enough to cover salary and benefits for an additional person to answer 911 calls. It will be the first time the Marion County sheriff’s office has charged fire departments for dispatching services.
Marion city has a separate dispatch center that handles 911 calls for city residents.
“We had all these budget cuts in the last year and lost personnel, and everybody is in trouble financially,” said Al Hayden, chief deputy. “So we said we need some help.”
John Leutz, a senior policy analyst at the County Commissioners’ Association of Ohio, said he knew of Ohio counties that charged fire departments for each 911 call, but had not heard of one that charged by the resident.
Sheriff Tim Bailey has five dispatchers, Hayden said, but would like to employ as many as 10. Under the $2-per-resident plan, the fire departments would pay for one dispatcher position.
Hayden said all but three fire departments have agreed to pay the new charges, which range from $782 for the Marseilles Fire Department in the northwestern part of the county (population 391), to $15,824 in Marion Township in the center of the county (population 7,912).
Some of the fire departments, run on shoestring budgets themselves, say they are not sure how they will afford the new expense.
Clint Canterbury, president of the Marion County Fire Chiefs Association, said he supports the sheriff’s plan, but is hoping the county commissioners will help the fire departments cover that cost.
Even the fire departments that have agreed to the plan are not happy about it, Canterbury said.
“It’s one of those things, you know, what do you do?” he asked.
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