MARIES COUNTY — Maries County 911 Director Nicole Bexten addressed county officials on Jan. 29 about employee retention and compensation, warning that low pay and rising costs are contributing to staffing shortages within both the 911 dispatch center and the Maries County Sheriff’s Office.

Bexten, who was attending the Maries County Commission meeting, said it has been nearly two years since some employees have received raises, despite increases in health insurance costs and overall cost of living.

“It’s been two years since I know I personally have received a raise with the Maries County Sheriff’s Office,” Bexten said. “I have other people that have been there for two years and have not received a raise.”

Presiding Commissioner Vic Stratman said, “Well, this year will be two years, because the year before everybody got a $2.50 raise.”

Bexten said that she had not received that amount as a raise and Stratman clarified it may have been based on a scale.

She said other counties are offering higher starting wages, making it difficult for Maries County to compete and retain trained staff.

“We are losing good employees due to the fact that we cannot pay them what they deserve to be paid,” Bexten said. “Other counties are making more starting out than what we are.  I know we’re a smaller county, but I feel like if you want to keep good people, we need to be able to pay them what they deserve to be paid, because otherwise we’re going to keep having the turnover that we are having.”

Bexten noted one current employee is considering another position that would pay approximately $7 more per hour.

“I would hate to lose this person,” she said.

Bexten said staffing shortages have forced her to work the console continuously, with no backup personnel available.

“I’m down to the bare minimum working as a 911 director,” she said. “I’m on console 24/7. I don’t have an extra person.”

She explained that losing additional staff would result in increased comp time and training costs, as new hires cannot be adequately trained in a short period.

“Getting somebody trained in two weeks is not substantial to let them go in a 911 center by themselves,” Bexten said. “So then again, we’re paying multiple people to be on with that person.”

Bexten said similar issues are affecting the jail and sheriff’s departments, adding that she was advocating on behalf of her employees rather than herself. County officials acknowledged the concerns but said financial constraints limit the county’s ability to provide raises.

“They do deserve a raise,” Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said. “Everybody deserves a raise, and every elected official should be advocating for them a raise, but at the same time, where do you get the money when there is no money?”

“If there’s no money, how do you pay people?” Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said. “The only way you can get a raise is you’ve got to cut something out, because there’s only so much money. What are you gonna do?”

“For me, it’s what are you going to do? What are you going to do as the commissioner?” Bexten said.

Officials said the county cannot borrow money to fund raises, as there is no additional tax revenue to repay it.

On the 911 side, Stratman said there may be some potential relief after July 1, when funding changes take effect for the new Maries County Emergency Services Board, though the exact amount is still unknown and would have to be approved through their board.

County officials also discussed comp time liabilities, noting that accumulated comp time represents money already owed but not yet paid.

Officials said the county’s end-of-year reserve is projected to be approximately $9,000, significantly lower than the $50,000 from previous years.

“If something comes up other than what’s in the budget, we only have $9,000 to cover emergencies,” Rodgers said.

Stratman said, “We understand where you’re coming from, absolutely, and you guys deserve more.”

Rodgers said they met with elected officials in June of last year to warn them about the county’s financial situation.

“It’s not a good situation. It has not been a good situation last year,” Rodgers said. “You know, mid-year for sure, we knew what was coming up. We had a feeling in January last year, and then in June we met with all the elected officials to let them know what kind of shape the county was in.”

Discussion also turned to revenue options, with officials noting the county is already maxed out on sales tax and cannot collect more. A future election to extend an existing tax was mentioned as critical, with officials warning that failure to pass it would significantly impact departments countywide, particularly the sheriff’s office.

Bexten said staffing levels at the 911 center are nearing a critical point, and they may be losing more employees.

“One person from 911 is already gone, and then one that is potentially getting ready to leave,” she said. “That leaves three people running dispatch.”

Drewel said they share the concern and emphasized the difficulty of retaining trained employees when surrounding jurisdictions offer higher wages.

“I hate to see good people go when we put so much time and effort into them,” Bexten said.

“That’s what’s gonna happen, just like with the road district,” Drewel said. “We got some pretty good operators over there. They’re gonna go on to a union, make some good money, then what are you gonna have? It’s the same thing as your sheriff’s department, pretty good deputies, trained, equipped and then they’re going to leave.”