At 5:59pm, Director Newman motioned for a ten minute recess. Director Francis seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0.

At 6:14pm, Director Newman motioned to go back into session. Director Stanley seconded the motion. Vote: 5 -0.

Minutes of the Technical Services Committee meeting on October 13th were reviewed. Director Newman moved to approve the minutes as amended. Director Francis seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 4 - 0 with Director Stanley abstaining.

Minutes of the Board of Director's Meeting on October 13th were reviewed. Director Newman moved to approve the minutes as presented. Director Francis seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 4 - 0 with Director Stanley abstaining.

Minutes of the Personnel and Policy Committee meeting on November 3rd were reviewed. Director Newman moved to approve the minutes as presented. Director Merriman seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 4 - 0 with Director Stanley abstaining.

Minutes from the Budget and Finance Committee meeting on November 3rd were reviewed. Director Merriman moved to approve the minutes as presented. Director Newman seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 4 - 0 with Director Stanley abstaining.

Public Comment and Correspondence

None

Treasurer Francis presented the financial report for November.

The check for September sales tax was received in the amount of $121,545.51. The check for October sales tax has not been received.

The checkbook balance before payment of bills is $13,501.06. The bills submitted for approval total $8,501.06. After payment of all bills, the checkbook balance will be $5,000.00. The money market account balance is $23,485.91.

Accounts receivable balance is $7,547.78. Receipt of all AR will bring the final checkbook balance to $12,547.78.

Director Stanley motioned for payment of all bills.

Director Newman seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 5 - 0.

Commmittee Reports

Finance and Budget

On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009, the Budget and Finance Committee Meeting met at the Jasper County 9-1-1 Center, 13870 Dispatch Lane, Carthage, MO, in public session at 2:00pm.

Attending were: - Board Chairman Stephens, Director Merriman, Director Rowland, Director Francis and Director Newman. Representing staff were Executive Director Nordell and Administrative Services Manager Chenault. There were no public attendees.

The meeting was called to order at 2:02pm.

Director Rowland motioned for a ten minute recess. Director Newman seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0.

At 2:12pm, Director Rowland motioned to go back into session. Director Francis seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0.

Unfinished Business

Executive Director Nordell presented the 2010 draft budget to committee members. He advised Board members that a new accounting system based off general guidelines in QuickBooks was created to better organize the accounts. Income line items were discussed first; reviewing closed loop line invoiced amounts, Reverse 911 contributions from LEPC and the City of Joplin, and dispatching service fees for METS and JCSO for the first 6 months of 2010.

Committee members requested that a letter be drafted to McCune Brooks Hospital inquiring about the location of the closed loop line phone that had been provided to them while at their former location and why the service had been disconnected. The hospital had been contacted previously regarding the equipment and they stated that when they moved that the closed loop line phone did not make it to the new location and they were unsure where the phone had been left. When the hospital indicated the phone was not in use, the line was cancelled to prevent any further charges.

Interest accrued on the checking and money market accounts will be broken out in 2010. Committee members inquired if items sold by JasCo such as maps and map books could be listed on the JasCo website and possibly have a ticker placed on the website to indicate the number of visitors to the site.

Amounts for sales of fixed assets were listed including the possible sale of the old Nortel phones and the JasCo company truck. Jasper County Commissioner's had previously expressed interest in the phones and Mets had verbally offered $15,500.00 for the truck to be used as a transport vehicle. Kelly Blue Book listed the purchase price of the truck at $16,500.00 to $16,700.00 in excellent condition.

Committee members suggested that JasCo check on a state bid for a new vehicle purchase. Chairman Stephens stated that Jasper County Sheriff's Office was able to purchase their new Chevy Tahoe's for approximately $24,000.00 to $25,000.00 on the state bid. Members agreed that they would rather see an outright purchase over a lease due to mileage limitations and that just the truck be traded this year. The Yukon can be added to the 2011 budget for replacement. Vehicle maintenance costs were also reduced for this budget taking the new vehicle replacement for the truck into consideration.

Executive Director Nordell stated that he budgeted for a decrease in sales tax revenue from what was budgeted in 2009 based on sales tax revenue reports from 2004 to current rather than the previous formula of a 3.5% increase that the former Executive Director had included in the spreadsheet. The Board approved non-budget project line item that provides an unforeseen projects buffer was also significantly less than previous years due to budget constraints. Executive Director Nordell would like to see this line item in a future capital projects budget.

Funds were omitted from the budget for building and grounds improvements such as resealing the parking lot and reseeding the lawn, however, $7,000.00 was included for an updated security system purchase that would provide additional surveillance cameras with audio in the comm. room. Committee members discussed the use of audio and video surveillance with Director Francis stating that he would not want employees to feel like their privacy was being violated and suggested it be listed as a late budget item to be considered towards the end of the year if funds were available. Director Newman also added that JasCo may be able to find a lower cost for the parking lot and lawn re-seeding. Director Francis furthered the discussion by stating that rather than just resealing the parking lot, JasCo should possibly look at putting cost together for a parking lot addition that could be used as an application for the Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST) grant.

Executive Director Nordell explained that he left $2,000.00 under the base radio purchase for an 800 MHz back-up radio for the Mobile Command Bus to be purchased for Mets since they are the only agency that does not currently have a backup in place. He also stated that JasCo is currently monitoring the 800 MHz frequencies for the City of Joplin and that the committee should look into providing VHF radios to Joplin for them to have the same option to monitor JasCo. Director Merriman and Director Francis stated that the City of Joplin already has VHF radios installed, but dispatchers chose to turn the radios off due to the amount of radio traffic coming across the frequencies. Executive Director Nordell stated he will verify with the City of Joplin if they have VHF radios installed.

Election fee costs are a major expense for the 2010 budget coming in at $43,000.00 or more depending on Jasper County population increases.

Executive Director Nordell stated that invoices and events are being provided to Carthage Police Department to address the increase in Language Line service use.

Other items covered were a reduction in commercial insurance premiums, a mapping plotter purchase postponed, the purchase of six laptops to be used as a back-up radio solution, and the replacement of comm. room chairs.

Committee members agreed that purchasing regular office chairs that can be replaced more frequently due to cost was the best option rather than purchasing the typical expensive ergonomic communications chairs.

Personnel expenses included a 3.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase for employees, but nothing budgeted for raises. Director Francis stated that we should verify if and what the COLA increase is for next year and that maybe the annual COLA increase should be re-worded as an employee raise.

Executive Director Nordell stated the $19,000.00 expense for the administrative and non-emergency lines is the quoted price of the new I.P. Flex phone switch that is due to be installed before the end of the year. The new plan offers twice the phone lines, internet access, and redundancy for the administrative and non-emergency lines at Carthage Fire Department

A tower site purchase was postponed until funds

are available and not incorporated in the 2010

budget.

Director Rowland mentioned that the hams and

turkeys for the employees need to be brought up

at the next Board meeting.

Executive Director Nordell presented a possible cost-sharing model with JCSO to committee members.

Committee members briefly reviewed and discussed a letter from the Attorney General's office regarding a Sunshine Law complaint filed by a local news media representative. Attorney Norman Rouse had also been provided a copy of the letter and will be assisting Executive Director Nordell in drafting a response letter. Executive Director Nordell explained that an exact address for an event was not provided to the news media representative due to the address provided by law enforcement was a possible address, the scene was not secure and the suspect was not in custody, however, they were provided with the general area of the call location. The information was provided by a deputy who was flagged down by a citizen reporting the crime and did not come in through a 9-1-1 call. Committee member suggested that we look at adding a statement to policy stating that incident location information will be provided by the Executive Director once officers arrive on scene and the scene has been secured if the incident falls under Missouri statute 610.100, section 3.

Director Rowland moved the meeting be adjourned. Director Newman seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0. The meeting was adjourned at 2:58pm.

A Budget and Finance Committee meeting was scheduled for November 17th at 1:00pm to look at making some modifications to the budget. Chairman Stephens suggested that a couple scenarios prioritizing cuts be presented at the meeting.

Director Francis moved to keep the $100,000 line of credit open with Southwest Missouri Bank. Director Newman seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 4 -0.

Director Stanley moved to approve the purchase of hams and turkeys for employees for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Director Newman seconded the motion. The motion was adopted. Vote: 4 -0.

The next Board meeting was scheduled December 8th at 6:00pm.

Technical Services

There was not a meeting and nothing to report.

Building and Grounds

There was not a meeting and nothing to report.

Personnel and Policy

On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009, the Personnel and Policy Committee Meeting met at the Jasper County 9-1-1 Center, 13870 Dispatch Lane, Carthage, MO, in public session at 1:00pm.

Attending were: -Board Chairman Stephens, Director Merriman, Director Rowland, and Director Newman. Representing staff were Executive Director Nordell and Administrative Services Manager Chenault. Public attendees included Jasper County Sheriff Archie Dunn and Brett Falcom with KOAM Television.

The meeting was called to order at 1:00pm.

Unfinished Business

Director Francis joined the meeting at 1:01pm.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been mutually drafted by Executive Director Nordell and Sheriff Dunn for the committee's review for the Jasper County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) to employ their own dispatchers to work a console within the JasCo facility. The MOU was also reviewed by Jasper County Emergency Services Board attorney Norman Rouse. Norman Rouse suggested that the MOU have an improved legal description to define spaces being shared or re-allocated, more clear representation of how long distance phone charges and hardware will be handled, a better definition of what Executive Director Nordell position will be as custodian of records. Director Merriman stated that MOU's can be as large or as small as they need to be and understands the attorney's suggestions that there be more detail. Chairman Stephens agreed with Sheriff Dunn that the MOU should be kept broad and simple with items being more defined in policy.

Executive Director Nordell inquired about a further description of the cost distribution to be expected once dispatch has been taken over by JCSO expressing concern over the lack of detail in the MOU and how it could affect the possibility of other agencies wanting to have a similar set-up to what is being provided to JCSO. He also stated that Norman Rouse has referred JasCo to another attorney, Bruce Copeland, for this agreement to avoid any conflict of interest since he has recently been detained by Jasper County as their legal counsel, so any input he provided should only be considered suggestions and not legal advice.

It was also suggested that under Termination in the MOU that the length of withdrawal be extended to 180 days rather than 90 days to provide adequate time to outfit a separate dispatch center if necessary.

Executive Director Nordell stated that he agreed that the MOU should not contain a large amount of policy and procedure, but believes that financial arrangements do need to be defined in the agreement.

Norman Rouse re-affirmed that in an MOU both parties benefit in one way or another and that while verbal input was provided by the Sheriff on cost-sharing, there was nothing written in the agreement to provide a concession to JasCo. Director Merriman discussed setting a precedent with this MOU being more defined for any future agencies that may want to be provided the same opportunity and make sure that JasCo will not be financially obligated to provide equipment and space to additional agencies. Executive Director Nordell provided examples of other agencies Inter-Agency Cooperative agreements that were in similar situations and stated that financial distribution was always included. Sheriff Dunn stated that JasCo would see the savings in personnel. Director Newman indicated that JCSO dispatch will be a unique situation over future agencies that want to join the Center because dispatch services are currently provided to JCSO by JasCo and that is not the case for the other agencies that would want to join. Director Merriman also stated that he doesn't want to establish a precedent that when other agencies want to join that they will have to pay for those services, but there is also only so much capacity available, financially and occupancy space, for those additional agencies. Executive Director Nordell inquired if there should be two budgets to assist with future upgrades; a capital improvement budget and the normal operating expense budget.

Executive Director Nordell explained that he would like to create the best possible agreement upfront without multiple addendums having to be attached. Chairman Stephens, Director Merriman and Director Newman agreed that the MOU is a work in progress and that it should be left open for things to change once the operation is underway.

Director Francis stated that he didn't see other agencies joining as an issue since most agencies prefer to keep their dispatch inside their own jurisdiction. He did state that he would like to see something safeguarding the software being used to prevent there being two sets of software systems and to ensure that any software installed on the consoles provided to JCSO would be compatible with all the other consoles in the comm. room.

Director Francis had a question about the dispatch service fee being pro-rated monthly until JCSO officially takes over the dispatch and if there would still be a fee charged proceeding that date that would decrease over time. Executive Director Nordell stated that was phased out since it is a different agreement and JCSO will be providing their employees for dispatch. It was also mentioned that hiring, screening, and training process could tentatively span 12 to 16 weeks. Director Newman asked about the possibility of some of JasCo's employees transitioning over to JCSO that could potentially reduce training time on some of their dispatchers.

There was a brief discussion of the effect on the budget with JCSO taking over dispatch and options that could be taken to offset those effects.

Committee members also discussed the weapon prohibition policy regarding JCSO commissioned employees entering the comm. room with weapons. Sheriff Dunn stated that he sees no need for his dispatchers to have weapons in the comm. room. Director Rowland wanted to ensure that the Board is looking out for the best interests of the JasCo employees. Chairman Stephens insisted that the Board always considers the best interests of their employees.

Director Merriman stated that before undertaking working out all the policies and procedures that the Board has to start with the MOU and then do addendums for additional items needing addressed such as financial issues. He would also like to see in the MOU that nothing in the original document can be changed without approval by the Board and the agreement of both parties in writing.

Director Rowland inquired about the pay and benefits being offered to JCSO dispatchers to have a comparison to provide to JasCo employees that might express interest in applying. Chairman Stephens stated that JCSO could schedule a time for someone to come out and discuss those items with interested applicants.

Director Merriman added one more change that will need to be made is the issue of the Chairman Stephens signing the JCSO agreement. He wanted to make sure that there would be no conflict of interest since Chairman Stephens is also an employee of JCSO and that a provision should be added that the Board must approve the contract and then authorize the contract to be signed by a designee. He suggested that either the Executive Director or Vice Chairman sign the agreement.

Changes to be made to the MOU include the termination extension from 90 to 180 days, authorizing the Vice Chairman as the executive signature, and that any changes from the original document must be approved by the Board and mutually agreed upon by the agencies in writing. Director Rowland suggested the agreement be reviewed in another Personnel and Policy Committee meeting. Director Newman moved that the Personnel and Policy Committee recommend that the amended agreement be presented to the Board of Directors at the next meeting. Director Francis seconded the motion. Vote: 4 - 1.

Director Rowland moved the meeting be adjourned. Director Newman seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:59pm.

On Tuesday, November 10th, 2009, the Personnel and Policy Committee met at the Jasper County 9-1-1 Center, 13870 Dispatch Lane, Carthage, MO, in public session at 5:00pm.

Attending were: -Board Chairman Stephens, Director Merriman, Director Newman, Director Stanley, and Director Carl Francis. Representing staff were Executive Director Nordell and Administrative Services Manager Chenault. Public attendees included JasCo TCO George Wever and Jordan Aubey with KOAM.

The meeting was called to order at 5:00pm.

Unfinished Business

TCO George Wever addressed committee members with his grievance after previously providing emails and other documents for them to review. He stated that due to a response received from Executive Director Nordell regarding the grievances, he did not concur with the Executive Director's opinion and feels that they were not properly addressed. He claimed the grievance against Team Leader Stephanie Baker was never resolved. The grievance stemmed from a call for service reporting a propane tank on fire that was dispatched out to Avilla Fire Department. Shortly after dispatch, a phone call was received by TCO Wever from one of the Fire Chiefs inquiring about the call. TCO Wever stated that TL Baker accused him of ignoring her and not providing updated information indicating the caller was unsure of the contents in the tank to the Fire Chief while on the phone and then repeating that it was a propane tank fire after she had tried to tell him to read the event comments and that it was not a propane tank fire. TCO Wever added that TL Baker only advised him that it was not a propane tank fire after he was already hanging up the phone, but that as soon as he read the comments he updated the responding units with that information. He affirmed that there was updated information in the event and there may have been a delay in relaying information to responders due to several emergency events occurring at the same time, however, he did not ignore TL Baker's instruction or tell the Fire Chief twice on the phone that it was a propane tank fire. After the grievance, he responded to TL Baker's email as a false accusation and asked for material supporting the facts. TCO Wever was provided the audio recording to review. In her second email response, she advised TCO Wever that it seemed he had an "issue with female authority." He believes that statement needs to be addressed. He also said that on the tape you can hear where he was advising TL Baker that he was reading the information. He felt that his grievance was very clear and never resolved.

The second grievance involved TCO Josh Pruitt having a private conversation with TCO Wever about MDT messages and then, at a later date, emailing policies and procedures to TCO Wever. TCO Wever stated that he met with Team Leader Donna Ipock and tried to resolve the situation. TL Ipock confirmed the information what TCO Wever put in his grievance and advised that TCO Pruitt was given a verbal counseling for the conversation and it was further explained that he was told to have no further contact or harassment with TCO Wever. During the next few weeks, TCO Wever said that TCO Pruitt was disgruntled and was complaining about the hours of his shift. During this time, TCO Wever sent out a forwarded email to co-workers that TCO Pruitt responded back with a copy of the policy quoting personal use of JasCo email. TCO Wever stated the grievance was then turned over to the Executive Director and TCO Pruitt was given a second verbal counseling. TCO Wever questioned why TCO Pruitt was given two verbal counselings instead of moving onto the next disciplinary action.

Director Merriman verified that TCO Wever was claiming the situation was borderline on a hostile work environment due to lack of response to his grievances and that the grievance with TL Baker was not properly addressed.

TCO Wever added that this was the 2nd time TL Baker accused him of something he didn't do and believes that the actions should be looked into since she is an employee in a leadership position at JasCo and has the ability of making supervisory decisions.

Director Newman asked TCO Wever if he followed the chain of command to report his grievances and TCO Wever stated he did follow the proper channels adding that he was not satisfied with any of the responses from the Executive Director regarding the matters. TCO Wever stated his primary concern is making sure that policy and procedure is being abided by and reviewed. Director Merriman said that he had read the entire complaint and appreciated TCO Wever taking the time to come in and speak with the committee and that they will further review the information with Executive Director Nordell.

TCO Wever provided a summarized response to the Board members of his grievances and stated that he did not have anything to gain by bringing this information forward and that he has more to lose if there are repercussions. TCO Wever's last request to the committee was to look at policies and procedures and make sure that they are followed. He was not looking for disciplinary action, but doesn't feel like it was handled properly. He stated that he likes working at JasCo and for Executive Director Nordell, but wants to make sure these things get addressed now before it results in a costly lawsuit for the Board.

Director Merriman wants to look into this further. He read the complaint and believes there are things that needed to be handled differently or in a better way. Committee members discussed the option of contacting Board members or the Chairman if the employee ever felt that their grievance was not being properly addressed by the Executive Director.

TCO Wever left the meeting at 5:18pm.

Executive Director Nordell added that in policy it states that the next means of the grievance procedure is to contact the Chairman in written form and that after TCO Wever's grievance was filed it was addressed and TCO Pruitt did not contact him after the grievance was filed as previously accused. Director Merriman stated that the comments about issues with female authority needed to be addressed as supervisor conduct and Director Francis mentioned logging grievance documents better in the future and that responses be in written form rather than in person. Executive Director Nordell did state that the counseling and grievance policies have been updated.

New Business

Committee members discussed a letter from the Attorney General regarding a Sunshine Law complaint filed by a media representative. The Attorney General asked for a sunshine policy to be forwarded to their office. Executive Director Nordell explained that there was an old media release policy stating we would forward media releases to a media mailbox, but since then the phone system has changed and the media mailbox no longer exists. The policy was updated stating that information could only be provided by the Executive Director and also included sections of MO statute 610.100 and 610.150 outlining paragraph three as the reasons for closing what is supposed to be open record such as that by releasing information it will be likely to pose clear and present danger, disclose identity of source, or if the suspect not in custody and that situations involving those type of events can be closed. He also stated that a comment was added in the policy that all required information would be provided once an officer was on scene and the scene was secure.

Committee members recommended that all employees be able to provide the standard information according to policy when it is requested by media representatives. Director Francis stated that Joplin Police Department policy is written that anyone can release information providing date, location, and type of call to media representatives once the scene is secure. Chairman Stephens did note that there may be more of a delay in the media receiving information for calls out in the County due to the officer's response times being longer.

Director Francis said that he had spoke with Bobbi Potorff from KOAM and she was appreciative of being given the location information that Executive Director Nordell had provided, but was unhappy with the comments about the media policy being in the process of being changed and that from that date forward JasCo would not be releasing call information and that it would be up to the law enforcement agency to provide that information. Executive Director Nordell explained that the policy was only being changed to adhere to the MO state statute. Director Francis and Chairman Stephens agreed that JasCo should look at the City of Joplin's policy and write a similar policy. Executive Director Nordell did state he attempted to contact Joplin when the situation started and that they claimed they can release information that the Police Chief authorizes they can release. Director Francis has a copy of the policy and stated that it has the basic information of what needs to be relayed to the media and doesn't think that it is a smart idea to quote the sunshine law since it is sometimes difficult to understand and that media has the right to the information.

Executive Director Nordell explained that the reason the address was not provided was because it was an unsecure shooting scene and that information may have been misinterpreted about information only being released by law enforcement. Director Francis inquired if recording of the phone call with the Executive Director and Mrs. Potorff was available. Executive Director Nordell informed committee members that due to issues with the recorder that particular phone conversation was not recorded by JasCo. Director Francis wants to make sure that it is known that it is not JasCo's intent to hold information from media when it can be released and thinks the policy needs to be adjusted to avoid any further miscommunication.

Committee members agreed that the City of Joplin policy should be reviewed and JasCo's policy be modified with the changes. The policy could then be presented to the Board for approval. Director Merriman added that he would like to see employees re-trained with the updated policy.

Director Stanley moved the meeting be adjourned. Director Francis seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:40pm.

Public Relations

There was not a meeting and nothing to report.

Executive Director's Report

Executive Director Nordell advised members that he had met with the insurance representative to discuss the 2010 insurance renewals. There was an increase for the current plan of 11.5% over 2009 premiums increasing the current Option 8 insurance cost of $187,000 by approximately $15,000. Another plan, Option 1, was provided that would decrease the Board contribution from $187,000 to $170,000 with the major changes consisting of an increase in the doctor's office visit co pay from $10 to $20, specialist co pay from $10 to $40, emergency room co pay from $75 to $200, and urgent care co pay from $50 to $75. The plan still has no deductible or co-insurance costs for employees. This option would result in a savings of $17,000 before making any employee changes. Board members were in agreement that it was a substantial savings and the plan probably needed to be changed. Executive Director Nordell provided other options to potentially save money in the 2010 budget such as no raises and postponing the vehicle trade-in. Director Francis inquired about the sales tax revenue calculation and suggested that it be decreased due to the downturn in the economy and not be based off historical data for the last three years. He suggested that the sales tax revenue be budgeted conservatively at $1,420,000; $200,000 less than what was listed in the 2010 draft budget. The change resulted in an $111,000 deficit even with the health insurance cost being updated with Option 1. Board members agreed that the initial budget should be filed with the two current vacant TCO positions and half of the JCSO dispatching service fees. Director Francis stated that more budget line item cuts need to be made for a balanced budget initially and then amendments can be made as the Jasper County Sheriffs Office (JCSO) transition occurs. He also mentioned that the TCO workload be evaluated as the JCSO transition takes place and that there was always the possibility that some of JasCo's employees would transition over to JCSO. A Budget and Finance Committee meeting was scheduled for November 17th at 1:00pm to look at making some modifications to the budget. Chairman Stephens suggested that a couple scenarios prioritizing cuts be presented at the meeting.

Reverse 911 was used for two non-emergency activations over the last month.

A question was posed from the Fire Chiefs inquiring why JCSO responds on some medical calls. Executive Director Nordell stated that some issues were already addressed with JCSO and there was nothing actionable. Fire Chiefs just wanted to verify policy and procedure on the responses.

Susan Redden left the meeting at 8:07pm.

There have been no updates on the potential installation date of the new AT&T circuit. The new circuit will decrease overall cost but will provide additional lines and redundancy for administrative lines.

On November 3rd, Carthage Cub Scout Troop along with their parents toured the 9-1-1 Center.

Tower work at Fire Central has been completed that repaired and replaced antennas that were damaged due to storms. Southwest Communications was not satisfied with the work of the tower climbing company, so they will be correcting their work during the week of November 23rd at no charge.

Executive Director Nordell stated that he attended a 9-1-1 Director's meeting on October 15th. During the meeting, it was decided that the directors would put together a 9-1-1 Association to show organization for the wireless cost recovery as a primary goal.

Missouri State Highway Patrol will have 8 new troopers that will be touring the Center as part of their indoctrination on November 12th.

Board members were updated with costs of a pre-built storage building for the lawnmower and other equipment compared to the cost of purchasing a kit. A pre-built 14x20 with a garage door was available from Trim Line Barns for $3145.00. The building could be placed on skids or on a concrete pad.

Chairman Stephens left the meeting briefly at 8:13pm and returned at 8:15pm.

Board members agreed that purchasing the storage building should be placed on hold until the budget is able to be re-evaluated after the first few months of next year.

Unfinished Business

Board members reviewed the amended memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the Jasper County Sheriff's Office to use their own employees to dispatch at the JasCo facility. Executive Director Nordell noted that on the current contract that is in place Chairman David Rife signed the agreement. He inquired if the MOU should be between agency heads with the thought that any changes to the MOU would need to go through an employee at the Center or policy panel before being signed. Director Francis stated that he did not see a problem with the Executive Director signing the memorandum since it still requires a vote of approval by the Board. He added that it is only a memorandum that is working out an arrangement to bring the Sheriff on board at the Center with his employees to dispatch. Director Merriman agreed that any authorized designee should be able to sign in this case. Director Newman moved to accept the MOU to present to the Sheriff for his approval. Director Merriman seconded the motion. Vote: 5 - 0. The motion was adopted.

New Business

Committee members discussed lack of grant funding available for the system since it is not P25 compliant. Mr. Rayfield stated that there is a meeting on November 24th where he has heard that agencies are looking at disputing infrastructure being listed under the P25 mandate. He also added that by having P25 radios it doesn't mean that agencies will be interoperable with the state system. A gateway or interface will have to provide a path into the system. Motorola is currently the only manufacturer with a radio that is upgraded for a trunked system and doesnt require an interface.

Mr. Rayfield defined P25 as the means of sending voice and other information in a digital format for a standard language that digital radio would speak over the airway through AM and FM modulation. The mandate was to prevent manufacturers from coming out with digital systems that had their own proprietary language. P25 was worked on it 20 years ago and has two phases with Phase 2 being the newer technology. He also stated that the Mototurbo system and P25 Trunking System still have the same issue of interoperability where they cannot receive a call on an analog channel. It still requires patching. Specifications are still being worked on with P25 radios and the Motorturbo system to allow a plug-in through the network where the radios could talk to each other. Mixed mode repeaters will be available after December and multi-site trunking should be available the middle of next year. He added that Motorola claims that Mototurbo is not designed for public safety, but after he researched the project and it has become more developed, he believes it is an option that could work.

Director Merriman stated it still requires replacing every portable and mobile radio county-wide. Mr. Rayfield stated that repeaters would have to change but current antennas could be used. Director Francis noted that it was still a huge difference in cost for the Mototurbo system versus the conventional trunking system.

Mr. Rayfield stated that not as many channels are needed with a trunking system. Director Merriman believed that seven to eight channels to carry the radio workload for this area. Executive Director Nordell said that his concern is that multiple agencies use the seven frequencies that are currently in place and that it would require the channels to be sized appropriately to accommodate their needs. Director Merriman explained that since the system just looks for an open trunk at that exact moment that it would require multiple units to be on the radio at the same time to fill up eight frequencies and that with trunking it only holds the repeater until the PTT is released on the transmission and then the frequency is open for the next traffic potentially allowing 600-700 users to utilize the system with no busies.

Mr. Rayfield also mentioned the IPX7000 radio that allows for dual band radio, UHF 700, 800, P25 trunking and digital that is approximately $7,000 and downfalls such as large antennas and batteries that make it not practical.

Director Merriman stated that according to the site survey the Jasper County Sheriff's Office repeater coverage area looked good, however, he recalls several major incidents where his portable radio did not work well in that area. Mr. Rayfield explained that it could have been issues with the repeater site or noise floor from electrical equipment such as power lines. He has seen a noise floor over six decibels that has caused a coverage area to shrink or taken repeaters off the air.

Director Merriman left the meeting at 7:05pm and returned at 7:07pm.

Executive Director Nordell stated that we need to find a way to improve talkback. Mr. Rayfield said that a voting receiver may work, but then cannot be used if the current system is replaced.

Mr. Rayfield concluded by saying that there is an 80-90% accuracy rate on the maps and understands the need for improved coverage especially with portable radios. They will still be looking into other options.

Rayfield communications left at 7:12pm.

Director Newman moved the meeting be adjourned. Director Stanley seconded the motion. Vote: 4 - 0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:32pm.