City Council hears proposal to hire additional dispatchers

The Columbus City Council on Wednesday heard a presentation from Emergency 911 Center Director Todd Noblitt proposing the hiring of six new dispatchers. He noted that he currently has 24 dispatchers, a number that has been largely unchanged, since 2002. Noblitt noted that during this same period, emergency calls went up approximately 58 percent.

Noblitt’s proposal includes two hires this July, two in January of 2020 and the final pair in July of 2020. Under an interlocal agreement between the city and the county, Columbus will pay for 55 percent of these costs, while the county will cover the remaining 45 percent.

Council took no action. The Bartholomew County Council is scheduled to take up the matter at it’s meeting on Tuesday, May 14th. The city council is likely to hold a similar vote the following week. Both bodies would need to agree on the proposal before any hiring can take place.