OSAGE COUNTY — The Osage County 911 Advisory Committee discussed a major technology upgrade, employee pay raises, and a multi-agency public safety grant during its Feb. 4 meeting.

One of the primary topics was the county’s transition toward Next Generation 911 service. According to 911 Director Ron Hoffman, the final major step remaining is to get the correct SolaCom interface box to allow the county’s new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) lines to connect properly with SolaCom.

Despite a recent snowstorm, no weather-related 911 calls were reported, Hoffman said.

Commissioners budgeted a raise of approximately 13% for 911 employees, Hoffman told the committee, bringing starting pay to $20.01 per hour and average pay to just over $23 per hour. The shift differential also went from 75 cents to $2 an hour (between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.).

He described dispatchers as “very happy and appreciative” and thanked Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin.

He said the 911 side of the new CentralSquare CAD system is working great.

Hoffman reported there were 19,988 calls for service since the last Advisory Committee meeting. No Text-to-911 calls for service were received.

Osage Ambulance District EMS Chief Josh Krull also discussed a $2.4 million grant over three years awarded through the “Safe Streets and Roads for All” program. Krull explained the grant will support research into strategies that could help residents and visitors better survive crashes and injuries within the county. Before funds can be spent, agencies must document the need and demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed solutions.

The grant was submitted through a multi-agency partnership which includes Osage Ambulance District, 911, and Linn Fire Protection District, allowing applicants to seek a larger federal award. If implemented, the funding could help pay for fire and law enforcement versions of the ProQA dispatch protocol, a nationally recognized system designed to standardize emergency call handling and improve response outcomes.

Advisory Committee member Kenny Helton raised questions about long-term costs once the grant expires, noting that annual licensing fees would continue after the initial purchase.

Helton also asked Hoffman to ensure each committee member has a paper copy of the agenda at future meetings, instead of just the copy that is emailed in advance.

Griffin cautioned that potential tax-related legislation could impact local revenue used to fund services such as fire protection, ambulance districts, and schools. Savings to individual taxpayers may be modest, he said, but the reductions could affect county budgets.