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Read comments (9)No residents showed up to speak on the issue, but vice-chairman Tom Reasons requested making the entire budget, including all revenue, expenditures, checking account and CD balances available to the public.
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Treasurer Jeff Burns explained that the sheet handed out at the meeting was just a "monthly snapshot" of expenditures and the entire budget is made public with the annual audit, which should take place at the end of July.
E-911 Board representative and Dyersburg city alderman Bart Williams passed on a request by the city's public safety committee to continue paying the maintenance fees for consoles used in the Dyersburg Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
At a recent public safety committee meeting, Williams had presented a request from the E-911 Board that the city take over the maintenance agreement for the consoles.
Currently, the Dyersburg maintenance agreement is the only one of the three PSAPs in the Dyer County E-911 system paid for by the E-911 Board. The governments of Newbern and Dyer County pay the maintenance costs of their consoles.
"You probably know the Public Safety committee asked me to request on behalf of the mayor and aldermen that the E-911 Board continue to pay for the maintenance of the consoles," said Williams.
"I have no problem with it if we pay everyone's maintenance, all three PSAPs," said E-911 vice-chairman Tom Reasons.
Williams agreed that the board should either pay all PSAP maintenance agreements or each municipality should pay their own.
"Why are we getting in the business of paying their bills?" asked retired DPD Chief Bobby Williamson.
Emergency Management Director Mark Grant said that he felt like the timing of E-911's request to take back payment of the maintenance agreement so close to the beginning of the new budget year was one reason behind the city's request for E-911 to keep paying the contract.
The contract will cost the city or E-911 Board $12,000 per year. If allowed to lapse, the contract could rise to $25,000 or higher, according to Grant.
After much discussion, members of the board agreed that Grant would call the state and find out if it is legal for the E-911 Board to pay the console maintenance agreements.
"(Let's) find out if it is a legal (911 expenditure)," said Medling. "If it's not, it is done. If it is, then we can decide if we want to do it."
Burns made motion to approve the budget, leaving the provision that the board will research the subject of the maintenance agreement further. A second was added by Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Holt.
The motion was approved unanimously with a roll call vote by the board members present. Secretary Chris Kent and Thomas White were absent from the meeting.
A motion by Medling to re-elect the board's 2007-2008 officers for the 2008-2009 fiscal year was seconded by Williamson and approved unanimously. Officers serving the board include chairman Benny Spain, vice-chair Tom Reasons, treasurer Jeff Burns and secretary Chris Kent.
A request by Air Evac to install a radio in the organization's air ambulance to speak to emergency officials on the ground will wait until the next meeting after a motion to table the discussion was made by Williams.
In the past, the board had installed radios for Dyersburg Regional Medical Center ambulances with the condition that further radios and maintenance be taken care of by the hospital.
Discussion included whether or not to purchase the non-budget radio, which costs approximately $4,000, when the air ambulances already have radio contact with ground ambulances and usually request the EMS officials to decide whether helicopter service is necessary. Grant said the radios would be needed for events when the fire department or E-911 service are the first responders at the scene.
Grant also spoke to board members concerning an agreement with the former management with Huish that allows storage of the mobile 911 trailer. Grant said that Huish now has new management at the factory.
"We will probably have to move," said Grant. "Chief Veal is speaking to the mayor and city treasurer and we don't think it will be a problem for the city to build (something). It depends on which direction the budget is going to take."
Burns said the board is also looking at other locations outside the Dyersburg city limits, including an addition to the Rescue Squad building.
"We are still looking at a couple more sites," said Burns. "How much time have we got (until we have to move the equipment)?"
"They are going to work with us," said Grant. "But December's a thought."
Intheloop, I am so glad that you are gone. The city is in much better shape without you. All you have been and more that likely will ever be is a thorn in someones side like you have been to us since day one. It takes a special type of person to do what those dispatchers do, no matter the size of the agency. All the agencies dispatchers get along, by the way. Dispatchers dont have voicemail or have the option of not answering the phone. Which I am sure you know all about that. So for further discussion, get your facts straight and your feelings off your sleeve and you might be better off. The people of Dyersburg are much better with Mark Grant in the postion he is in. And as for the little comment for the Emergency medical book, I know for a fact that several lives have been saved and many people have been helped with the little book. So get your facts straight, lord knows you have had problem with that in the past years!
WELL FOR STARTERS "UKWILDCATS" I HAVE NEVER WORKED FOR THE CITY OF DYERSBURG. YEAH LIKE HIM OR NOT, MARK GRANT SPENDS MORE TIME WORKING ON AND FIXING THE THINGS AT THE EOC THEN THE OTHER 2 DEPTS. OH YEAH THE EOC 911 SYSTEM NEVER HAS PROBLEMS. LIKE "INTHELOOP" SAID GO TAKE PICTURES OF ALL 3 OFFICES AND YOU WILL SEE WHERE ALL THE TIME AND MONEY IS SPENT. FROM WHAT I HEAR NEWBERN AND THE COUNTY CANT PUSH A BUTTON TO RAISE THE DESK SO THEY CAN STAND UP AND WORK..
HOW ABOUT THIS LET THE SOME OF THE 911 BOARD MEMBERS GO AROUND AND DO A "SURPRISE" VISIT TO ALL 3 OFFICES. THAT MEANS NO GRANT, NO CHEIF, NO SHERIFF KNOWNING THEY ARE COMING AND SEE WHAT THEY THINK THEN... THE "TRUTH WILL COME OUT"
THIS IS NOT A BASH ON ANY OF THE DISPATCHERS IN THIS COUNTY, BUT "ALL" THE DISPATCHERS NEED TO BE TREATED THE SAME, BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING FOR THE SAME THING.......
I was talking about the way YOU-Mark Grant treat every other agency in this county like they are stupid and not fit to do the job like your girls at Dyersburg. I was talking about an employee of the City of Dyersburg sitting in a PUBLIC place and saying that all the other dispatchers in this county were stupid and uneducated. If all the dispatchers are loved, then why are YOU trying to consolidate and some of those so called "beloved" dispatchers will be without a job just because of where they came from not what kind of job they do.
You know its funny to me that the 911 system at Dyersburg PD never ever seems to have flaws or go down at all and the other agencies are having problems even though Mark you are the one that works on all the equipment??
You can make cute little comments calling me out about how I hide behind a username while you blast your name all over here. I don't care. I am just stating MY opinion. You know the saying, everyone has one..Oh and another thing, that was SO nice of the City of Dyersburg to have Public Service Day at the park for city employees, officers, and dispatchers and their families. Thanks for inviting the rest of us that bust our butts every day for Dyer County and Newbern. Nice...
My name is Mark Grant and I am the emergency 911 communications manager for the City of Dyersburg. My responsibilities include supervising the Dyersburg 911 Center and coordinating repairs for "all" 911 systems in Dyer County.
I am going to publicly respond to the misinformation that has been posted. Unfortunately, due to the nature of "blogs", anyone can hide behind a screen name and say whatever.
I would like to share some information about 911 in Dyer County. There are 3 separate 911 dispatch centers in our county-- Newbern, Dyer County SO, and the City of Dyersburg. Each is under the authority of its' local government entity. The Dyer County 911 Boards function is to provide equipment and to ensure that all 3 centers meet the rules for 911 operations in the State of Tennessee.
The technology that is required to operate a capable and modern 911 center is costly. Property taxes do not fund this technology/equipment. The Dyer County 911 District pays 100% of this expense. Dyer County has some of the lowest 911 telephone rates in Tennessee. The District has been awarded approximately $300,000 in grants over the last 5 years to update the system, as well as providing for a "mobile" 911 center that can be used as a statewide response vehicle. And that "mobile 911 center" works very well and will soon be featured in a national publication.
Dyer County 911 has had the same rates since 911 was implemented nearly 20 years ago. What other utility service do we have where the rate is the same today as it was in 1988? The Dyer County 911 Budget is public record, and those interested can review it. The Board does an outstanding job with managing the rate payers' money, while keeping our 911 technology current.
The dispatchers who work at Newbern, Dyer County and Dyersburg are all dedicated employees who are passionate about the job they do. They are the first contact for the "first responders" in our public safety systems.
In the Dyersburg 911 Center, we care very much about the employees we supervise. Yes, in our eyes they are "golden". Our #1 priority is the customer; followed by faith, family and each other. I am sure that the Newbern Police Chief and the Sherriff feel the same way about their employees.
Since you have 3 different 911 centers under the authority of 3 different jurisdictions, then you can expect to have a difference in pay, policies and procedures, and training. This is not to say that any one center is better than another.
If you have any questions about the Dyersburg 911 operation, please feel free to call me at 731.288.3588. We would love to hear your suggestions and to give you the chance to see your "rate" money in action. As previously stated, you, the customer, are the #1 priority. We would love to give you a tour and let you see first hand how this system works. You can also visit our web site at http://www.dyersburgtn.gov/public_safety... to learn more about Dyersburg 911.
Thank you
Well for one thing, your wrong. Mark Grant services Dyer County and Newbern 911 equipment when it goes down. Im not going to sit here and argue. I say Make it public!!! Let the citizens see for themselves the "real" figures are on the crap that he spends. You can think what you want on who I am. I could care less.
Hmmmm, sounds and looks like all the post below are from the same person, on the same day, all within 45 minutes of each other? This sounds like the "get of your butt and do your job" person, who just quit the City of Dyersburg. Sounds like you are trying to throw stones at Mr Grant for calling you out on your sorry job performance?
From what I hear, your replacement has gotten more problems resolved in 2 days than you did in 5 years.
Mr Grant, like him or not, is very good at what he does. After all, Dyer County has the latest technology and the LOWEST 911 TAXES in the State of Tennessee.
Just check out this link to find out for yourself: http://www.tennessee.gov/commerce/911/do...
And no Ms "get off your butt", he does not have anything to do with Newbern or Dyer County dispatch. He only supervises Dyersburg 911.
I know Mr Grant very well and I know where his heart and dedication is. Why do you want to throw rocks at someone who cares so much about serving the citizens of Dyersburg? Who spends countless hours in making sure the 911 system and emergency communications systems for the City of Dyersburg is ready for a disaster?
When you have an operation that is recognized as one of the best in the State of Tennessee, funded by a 911 Board that has the lowest tax rates in the State, SPEAKS VOLUMES about those people.
Like I said, all the post below are obviously from the same person - the get of your butt person who quit and has an ex to grind.
as a taxpayer, i feel i have every right to see what exactly mark grant spends money on. he obviously spends more on the city of dyersburg's 911 system than he does on newbern or dyer county's. people, you need to realize that in the wake of a major catastrophe, it doesn't matter what bells and whistles his people have to work with, or if he has a new building, or trailer or control of all dispatchers, it will be civilian helping civilian. public knowledge is public knowledge!
WELL...WELL...IF THE PEOPLE OF DYER COUNTY KNEW HOW MUCH DIFFRENT THE SYSTEMS WORKED... THE OFFICE THAT MR GRANT WOKRS OUT OF IS THE BEST.. BUT IF MR GRANT IS "OVER THE 911" I WOULD THINK ALL 3 DEPARTMENTS SHOULD BE THE BEST AND ALL THE SAME EQUIPMENT BUT I HATE TO TELL THE PEOPLE OF DYER COUNTY THEY ARE NOT!!!! NEWBERN AND DCSO ARE ON 2 DIFFRENT SYSTEMS.. THAT COMES NO WHERE CLOSE TO WHAT EOC HAS!!!!!
AND AS FOR THE CONSOLIDATING OF ALL THREE DEPTS WELL DISPATHCERS.. WHAT NO ONE HAS TOLD THE COUNTY IS THE DISPATCHERS ARE ALL ON DIFFRENT PAY SCALES AND OF COURSE THE GIRLS THAT ARE UNDER MR GRANT ARE PAID MORE THAN THE OTHER 2 DEPARTMENTS DISPATCHERS. . SO THAT MEANS IF "SOMEDAY" THE COUNTY VOTES TO CONSOLIDATE ALL 3 DEPT DISPATCHERS, NOT ONLY WILL THE TAX PAYERS HAVE TO PAY FOR "ANOTHER" BUILDING THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY TONS AND TONS OF MONEY FOR NEW RADIO SYSTEMS SO THAT THE DEPUTIES AND OFFICERS CAN TALK TO THE DISPATCHERS . BECAUSE DPD HAS THEIR OWN PRIVATE SYSTEM THEY WORK FROM.
THE ONLY REASON MARK GRANT IS PUSHING FOR THE CONSOLIDATION IS BECAUSE HE WILL BE THE BOSS OVER "ALL" THE DISPATHCERS AND YES SOME WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS, BECAUSE MARK GRANT WILL NOT LOSE HIS GIRLS. ALL THE DISPATCHERS IN THIS COUNTY DO THE "SAME" JOB AND ARE SUPPOSE TO WORK FOR THE SAME REASONS. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME 40 HOUR TRAINING IN NASHVILLE SO THERE SHOULD BE NO DIFFRENCE WHAT SO EVER!!!!
"ALL" THE DISPATCHERS IN THIS COUNTY WORK THEIR BUTTS OFF TO HELP OTHERS, BUT THERE IS ONE PERSON TRYING TO MESS IT UP FOR EVRY ONE. IF HE WOULD WORK HARDER ON GETTING ALL THE SYSTEMS TO WORK AS WELL "HIS", AND NOT SABOTAGE THE OTHER 2 DEPARTMENTS SYSTEMS SO IT WILL MAKE HIS DEPARTMENT LOOK BETTER.. OH YEAH I FORGOT TO TELL THE PEOPLE OF DYER COUTY MR MARK GRANT IS THE ONLY PERSON TO CALL WHEN THE 911 SYSTEMS GO DOWN!
The only reason Mark Grant treats the EOC so great and everyone else so crappy is because he wants more than anything to put all the dispatchers for DPD, DCSO, and NPD in the same building and conslidate so he can be the big boss. That would mean the city would be out MORE money on a building to hold all the new equipment he would buy. And Mark Grants "golden girls" would keep their jobs when other hard working dispatchers would lose theirs just because they arent DPD. Dispatchers that work just as hard, have had the same training in Nashville, and have been dispatching just as long if not longer than others. Oh, and the "medical" treatment that DPD dispatchers can give---they flip thru a book until they find your problem. They have NO medical training. I know this is going to start the 'They should all be together' war. I want to know why people think that would be so much better. DPD gets a call. Dispatches it out to officers. Or transfers it to the EMS. NPD gets a call. It goes to officers or its transfered to EMS. Same with DCSO. Now how would putting everyone in one building and make this process any faster?? You have DPD dispatchers who have NO idea about county roads, or Newbern streets. You have DCSO dispatchers that dont know DPD streets or NPD streets. Same with NPD. The people of this town need to really take a look at what they are paying for.
Its not right! And I cant wait until they make everything public so everyone can see how much money he wastes! His precious trailer that DOESNT EVEN WORK RIGHT. His office that is full of stuff that is NOT needed. Electronic desks??? Really. Come on people. This is tax payers money that he is throwing down the drain.
You can believe or not believe it. But why doesnt someone take some pictures of all three offices. Take a look at each terminals 911 equipment and how it works. Look at what YOUR money has bought.