County raises include 911 Center

The 3.5 percent pay raises Flathead County commissioners approved recently for county employees will also apply to the consolidated 911 Center —  a move that raised some concerns among cities that help pay for the center and had already settled upon a budget for it with less generous raises.

But surplus cash in the center’s existing budget should be able to absorb the unexpected cost without any larger financial contributions from the county, Kalispell, Whitefish or Columbia Falls.

At a 911 Center administrative board meeting Wednesday, Kalispell representative Mayor Tammi Fisher and Columbia Falls representative Mike Shepard said their respective cities don’t have any extra money to help pay for the county’s largesse.

The 911 Center budget was approved by the cities and the county — all except Kalispell — with 2 percent raises for employees.

The county’s pay raises mean an additional 1.5 percent, or about $24,000, must be found.

“If the idea is the cities will contribute, that’s unlikely to happen with a vote of my city council,” Fisher said, adding that hopefully the agreed-upon budget can absorb the raises. “If that doesn’t work, then we should ask the county commissioners to absorb that extra 1.5 percent. We passed a budget and if they chose to give a 3.5 percent increase they can absorb it.”

Shepard agreed. “I’ve had the same conversation with my manager and mayor. Our budget’s set, there’s no money. You can’t get blood out of a turnip,” he said.

County representatives Ed Corrigan and Pam Holmquist did not agree that the county should pay for the entire cost. But that’s a debate that will surface next month only if the existing 911 Center budget can’t absorb the raises. County finance officials said Wednesday that it should be able to.

Shepard noted that a new director for the 911 Center has been selected and will be hired shortly pending a successful review by the county’s human resources department.

Paul Schauble, the center’s director of information technology, announced he will resign and taking a new job on July 26, leaving the center with another leadership position to fill.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.