Pottawattamie County supervisors voted to authorize four new full‑time call‑taker positions for the county communications center after a staffing study showed call volumes and training attrition were straining dispatch operations.

Sam Markbell, communications, and Jasmine Elmore, human resources director, described a study that recommended call‑taker roles so dispatchers can concentrate on radio dispatching and complex incident management. The presentation said a full dispatcher requires about six months of training and that call‑taker training could allow faster integration into duties; the study estimated the first‑year cost for four positions at roughly $307,793 (including wages, taxes and benefits).

Supervisors asked staff to identify funding sources; county officials said some savings from reduced overtime and careful budgeting could help but that the board would need to identify roughly $150,000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year and an additional ~$150,000 for the next fiscal year unless other offsets are found. The board approved the job descriptions and tasked the county CFO and staff with finding funding options during upcoming budget discussions.

The decision followed discussion about high training‑program attrition and the operational benefits of separating phone intake from full dispatcher duties. The board carried the motion without recorded dissent and directed staff to return with funding options for formal budgeting.