CRYSTAL FALLS — In the midst of a central dispatch staffing shortage, the Iron County Board voted at a special meeting Friday morning to seek proposals to have 911 services handled by outside sources.

“I know that we are really getting into a critical situation,” Board Chairman Mark Stauber said. “As a board we are really concerned — if another person leaves or wants to go on vacation, do we even allow people to take that vacation?”

Iron County Central Dispatch Director Ashley Schmidt told the board the department has four full-time openings and two people have resigned in just the past two weeks. One is leaving for a job in a different profession, working days with no weekend, nights or holidays, Schmidt said, while the other is going to Dickinson County Dispatch, which pays more in training than what that person made after nine years in Iron County.

Schmidt said she has done everything the board has asked to address the staffing shortages, from training two people at the same time, posting the job on websites and working with Michigan Works! But now the board needs to work with her on wages, she said.

Stauber replied that the board had just negotiated a contract and the dispatchers got everything they wanted and more than the other unions had received.

Schmidt said she was not involved in those negotiations, but the wage increase received is still not enough to retain staff, adding Iron County has the lowest-paid dispatchers in Upper Michigan.

Stauber countered he does not know where the money would come from for an additional raise.

Stauber also asked if dispatch has tried to offer services to other counties to help offset costs.

“We are an over-a-million-dollar department that was never meant to be a sole department,” Stauber said.

Schmidt asked if excess money in the budget earmarked for equipment could be used for a wage increase. Stauber replied that he was not comfortable with that, as doing so would cause a problem when the equipment did need to be replaced.

At this point, Civil Counsel Steven Tinti shut the wage discussion down.

“We need to be careful here, as you have a union contract,” Tinti said. “This is inappropriate to have this discussion. This is something you deal with your bargaining unit on and you could be hit with a complaint for unfair labor practices.”

Commissioner Pete Judd asked Schmidt if dispatch had any other issues besides wages that affect employee retention. Schmidt said it is a stressful job and people often burn out.

Stauber said that he would like to explore all options, including request for proposals, or RFP, for an outside agency to provide dispatch services.

“I think we need to look to the future,” Stauber said. “Even if we move forward with the RFPs it would not happen overnight.”

Tinti said residents need not worry about 911 service.

“If, for some reason, our center becomes unable to perform services, we are tied to a backup system that can step in,” Tinti said. “I do not want the story to be that you are going to call 911 in Iron County and not have a response.”

In other business, the board:

— Voted to have Tinti continue as civil counsel through the end of the year.