“Pump the brakes”

County officials and residents are continuing to clash over the makeup and process of a newly formed committee tasked with planning a joint dispatch system for Edgar County. Contentious opinions were the center of dissension during a public comment session at the county board’s study session on Monday, June 22.

A small committee, created under County Board leadership after its last meeting, is set to begin examining how to consolidate dispatch operations for the Paris Police Department, the Edgar County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s 911 board. However, the committee’s creation has drawn criticism from several individuals, who believe it was formed without input from those most directly affected. Opinions raised on Monday morning said that county officials continue to disregard public input, give weight to differing opinions, and that they hold dispatch meetings “in secret.”

Incoming board member Scott Myers, who identified himself as a lean manufacturing consultant by trade, was the first to share his concerns, delivering a lengthy statement drawing a parallel between the dispatch situation and industrial process design. He argued that the people closest to the work — dispatchers, first responders and telecommunicators — should be the primary architects of any new system, not management figures he described as “non-value adders.”

“We’ve had issues with dispatch for a minimum of about 20 years, and the current people running the show may not be the best ones to design the future process,” he said. “I want to say I absolutely appreciate every single year you guys have spent doing this. There is no money involved in it. There’s no glory involved in it. You’re doing it specifically for the people, but I think the incoming sheriff, the chief of police and the chairman of the 911 board are absolutely people who should be involved in (the process) and they are not invited.”

In addition to those currently on the committee, Myers named several people he believed should have seats at the table in designing what joint dispatch should look like. He labeled them as “value adders.”

“Opposing views are imperative for good choices. I suggest involving people who have been aware of the issues and are skilled enough to design the systems that work and are sustainable,” he said. “Samantha McCarty is on the county board, and she currently has nothing to do with decisions that are getting made. She is probably more knowledgeable than anybody sitting in this room.

Troy Eads is highly knowledgeable. Chris Ray is a value-adder who is highly knowledgeable in it, and Jesse Lewsader is an expert who has argued with the county board before… In choosing these experts and talking to the people most affected by the current issues, they should design the future process.”

Myers reiterated several times that he is “not the guy for the job” and does not want a seat on the committee, while also saying that many people currently involved are not the most knowledgeable people for the role either. He also acknowledged omitting 911 Director Taylor Ray from his prepared remarks, an oversight members of the board promptly flagged.

“I once asked somebody, what will it take to change public perception at Edgar County government, and I asked the wrong way, and that person explained to me that transparency, inclusion and prudent decisions will go a long way to help and I really appreciate that,” Myers said. “At the beginning of the conversation, I was myself, and sometimes I should not be that, but I really listened to what they told me ... As managers, we have to have the wisdom and maturity to step aside when necessary for the veteran who pursues the end goal. The safety and service of Edgar County is what we’re talking about.” ”

Eads, a part-time member of the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department and volunteer firefighter, was also in attendance on Monday morning. He eagerly elected to chime in.

Eads urged the board to adopt a formal resolution establishing a strategic planning group for joint dispatch, one that would be open, transparent and inclusive of all stakeholders. He said the resolution would not commit the county to any particular outcome but would create a recognized structure for the process.

“The first order of business would be for the county board to all agree that it needs to happen,” Eads said. “Then establish a strategic organization group composed of the right players ... not just those you want sitting at the table.”

Several attendees waiting to address solar ordinance issues later in the meeting interjected into the discussion and questioned whether any joint meeting had ever been held with dispatchers, first responders, the Paris Police Department, the county sheriff’s office and the hospital present together.

“Have we had one meeting with dispatchers and first responders all together in the same room?” Myers asked, before answering his own question. “The answer is no.”

Karl Farnham, the county board member who chairs the committee, was quick to defend the committee’s focus, saying he wanted to hear directly from the department heads responsible for the three entities involved. He said the sheriff and Paris police chief were the primary focus because joint dispatch would directly affect their operations.

It was Chris Ray, who recently won the primary for the county board’s District 5 seat, who challenged the panel’s composition, saying the committee appeared to have been self-appointed by county board members Farnham and Jeff Voigt, who are currently the only representatives from the county board on the committee.

Ray said he was concerned that a rushed timeline could lock in decisions that incoming members would have to unwind — a process he described as “disruptive” for staff already attempting to settle into a new facility.

“All I’ve heard since (the last meeting) was people that have spoken out in the last county board meeting opposing the way that this committee was established, and who it focuses on. The way I understand it, and I may be wrong, but it was a self-appointed committee,” Ray said. “I feel like that is probably not the correct direction if it’s not unanimous amongst the county board members, as they sit now.”

“Our viewpoints are similar, but we oppose each other on minor details, and when someone spoke out in the county board meeting with their concerns on the self-appointed committee, your response was that you have heard the opposing viewpoints,” Ray continued. “My concern with that is even though you have heard the opposing viewpoints, you have shown no openness to take them as actual, legitimate concerns, or to adjust your point of view.”

Ray questioned if the push to complete an agreement stemmed from the tight timeline associated with the new Edgar County Public Safety Center, or the upcoming change in seats on the board. He emphasized that the board and any committees needed to be full of people with “opposing viewpoints.”

“If we have joint dispatch, it’s for Paris PD. That’s why the Paris police chief’s going to be there. It’s going to be for the sheriff; that is why the sheriff is there. They are answering 911 calls, that’s why the 911 board chairman’s there, and the county is facilitating all this,” Farnham responded. “That’s why in this committee I wanted to hear the point of view from those people, because, they’re leading. They’re in charge of all these different departments … this is to get their thoughts, get their ideas, and see if they can come not to my decision, but their decision. They are not answering the calls for me, I mean they are answering for the county, because it’s part of the county … but they can’t make that decision alone.”

“I feel like you have basically stacked the deck,” Ray said, addressing Farnham directly. “If you aren’t going to be open to opposing viewpoints, just pump the brakes and stop the whole process … this planning process is the very first step and it is absolutely the most important fundamental step, because when you go to this meeting and you guys come up with ideas before you come back in to report to the board, you’re not reporting different things, you’re reporting what you have come up with as the best solution, and the board generally thinks ‘lets do it.’”

Ray then asked Farnham why he was not willing to listen to opposing or fundamental points, to which Farnham said he has “heard lots of opposing view point for the last couple of months.”

“You have, but you have not been willing to accept any of it,” Ray said.

“How is that?” Farnham responded.

“Because you’re super closed off, Karl. Because you are not unbiased in this position. You are the former sheriff, and you want it to be as it was (when you were) the sheriff,” Ray replied.

Farnham denied Ray’s accusation, stating that the choice was not his decision to make. Ray’s immediate response to Farnham was to ask him to “step back.”

“Let a different person run it,” Ray requested. “If you can be unbiased, then what is the problem with stepping back and letting another member of the sheriff’s committee fill your spot?”

In response to Ray’s questions, board member Dan Brunner spoke up.

“I made a statement at the last meeting. If you can’t decide on who’s going to be on a committee. How are you gonna solve the problem?” Brunner said. “Maybe I’ll get in trouble, but if we can’t decide on the committee, how are you gonna decide on how to work this out?”

Myers was also quick to chime back in and address Farnham.

“You are so powerful in the county board and the sheriff’s department right now,” Myers said. “I think you’re out of touch … Have you found one dispatcher and first responders and asked them all their opinions? … Sometimes it’s better for a manager who is not associated with the direct process to step back and have the maturity and the wisdom to say maybe I’m not the guy to do this, maybe you’re not the guy, maybe  Jeff Voigt is not the guy to do this either and maybe Jeff Wood  isn’t the guy to do this either, because there have been things over the past 20 years that haven’t worked out … I know you’ve worked really hard to make them work, but sometimes you got to call in somebody else to design it.”

Farnham closed the public comment portion of the meeting moments later, thanking everyone for attending and sharing their opinions.

“Does anybody else have anything else? I don’t want to shut off anybody. If you want to say something,” he said. “I think this has been a very good meeting, and I’m glad you all came and expressed your opinions.”

The County Board will meet for its next study session at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 6 at the Edgar County Highway Department. The meeting is open to the public.