Discussions about the Routt County dispatch center’s funding model continued in a joint meeting between the Routt County Commissioners and the Steamboat Springs City Council last month as the center continues to struggle with a staffing shortage.

During a previous joint county commissioners and city council meeting in early May, Routt County Emergency Communications took a first step in changing how the dispatch center is funded, potentially departing from a funding model that uses a percentage of property taxes and an enhanced 911 surcharge added to every phone line in the state.

“The funding model we have right now is not sustainable,” said Routt County Manager Jay Harrington during the May meeting.

The proposed new model, discussed during the early-May meeting, would introduce dispatch service fees and increase E911 fees across the county.

Under the current funding model, the agencies dispatched by Routt County Emergency Communications don’t pay dispatch service fees, making the county responsible for funding dispatching for agencies that would typically be funded by corresponding municipalities.

The Routt County Communications dispatch center is responsible for dispatching all nine agencies in the county, including the Steamboat Springs Police Department and Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue.

Harrington noted that the Routt County dispatch center is one of four in the state that does not utilize dispatch fees for funding and is responsible for the cost of all municipality dispatch calls.

During the early August meeting, Harrington noted that it is “critical” to keep the dispatch center based in Routt County, rather than utilizing a regional dispatch center through the Colorado State Patrol.

Five regional Colorado State Patrol emergency communications centers are dispersed throughout the state and contracted by counties, including Moffat County, which works with the Craig-based regional center.

“We’ve had initial discussions with some of our neighbors,” said Harrington during the early August meeting. “Right now, what (Moffat County pays) the CSP is very nominal, and with what they’re doing financially, they don’t really have the option.”

“But long term, I think we’ll see more of a regional approach,” Harrington added. “What we’re dealing with in Routt County is similar throughout the country: low staffing rates, high turnover, the need for consolidation. It’s really tough work.”

Routt County Emergency Communications Manager Jim Cullen said keeping the dispatch center local rather than coordinating with Colorado State Patrol centers is important for efficient response times and services.

“The biggest benefit is having a staff that knows the specific area,” said Cullen in an interview with the Steamboat Pilot & Today. “And not just by geography with the roads and highways, but we often get tourists from out of town who will call and only give the name of where they’re at. They don’t know the address of the business.”

“If you don’t have (a dispatcher) that’s local, it takes them extra time to search that business by name to find the exact address in order to get responders there,” Cullen continued.

Despite the importance of keeping the dispatch center local, the center continues to struggle with staffing due to the high cost of living and long days.

Cullen said the dispatch center is still operating at about 50% staffing, with some dispatchers working 12-hour shifts for 10 days in a row.

With most of the full-time dispatchers based west of Steamboat for the lower cost of living, Routt County Communications plans to open a satellite dispatch center in Hayden, helping commuters cut down on long days and avoid weather-related traffic.

To further aid in staffing shortages, one Steamboat police officer and three Routt County sheriff’s deputies fill dispatch shifts, allowing the full-time dispatchers to take vacation time.

Harrington also noted that dispatchers handle a large workload, acting as a reception center for Routt County and Steamboat agencies rather than an emergency-only dispatch center.

“We’re looking at getting it back to being an emergency dispatch center,” said Harrington. “It’s treated by various law enforcement entities as an answering service and an admin service … like if someone comes into the sheriff’s department to turn in a lost wallet, it goes through dispatch.”

“As 911 centers get busier and busier with emergencies and all the technology, a lot of those tasks are trying to be moved back to clerks and front desk people within the specific departments,” said Cullen. 

Moving forward, Cullen said Routt County Communications isn’t concerned about funding but is still actively recruiting for more dispatchers. Between the nature of the work itself and Steamboat’s high cost of living, the agency remains unsure of what the next steps will look like.

“Over the years, the county has increased pay and benefits, and all that helps,” said Cullen. “But until people can afford to live in the area, it makes it difficult.”