Cottonwood County will lend a hand to a neighbor in need of dispatching services.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Cottonwood County Commissioners approved a memorandum of agreement with the union representing county dispatch workers, which will allow the county to provide emergency dispatch services for Watonwan County.
Jail Supervisor Daniel Quade told the board he had been approached by Watonwan County, which is currently down to three active dispatchers.
“Watonwan County asked if we could help,” Quade said. “I asked to some other counties that have some similar things to get suggestions. We use the same dispatching software as Watonwan County.
Quade added that dispatch staff can pick up those additional hours strictly on a voluntary basis. Watonwan County would reimburse Cottonwood County for the overtime costs, which would include any potential holiday hours, as well as a $50 surcharge per shift.
Additionally, because the Emergency Management room in the Law Enforcement Center basement is already set up as a training station for dispatchers, those doing work for Watonwan County will be able to station in the basement, separate from the Cottonwood County dispatchers.
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