The Webster Progress-Times

WALTHALL - Terry McCain is now serving as Webster County's first E911 coordinator after the Board of Supervisors' initial choice turned the job down.

Supervisors voted 3-2 on Nov. 13 to offer Terry Jones the position of E911 coordinator although the 911 Advisory Committee had recommended McCain for the position. Jones was contacted during the meeting and was to meet with the board last Friday to discuss the hiring of dispatchers.

However, Jones was not at that recessed meeting and the board voted to go into executive session to consider E911 personnel maters. After coming back into open session, the board noted for the record that Jones, after being offered the position, declined to accept it.

Mart Salley (District 2) then moved to accept the recommendation of the 911 Committee and hire McCain as the E911 coordinator effective immediately at a salary of $25,000. Larry Crowley (District 4) seconded the motion.

The motion carried with Salley, Crowley and Charles Rivers (District 3) voting aye, and Robert Hitt (District 1) and Casey Weeks (District 5) abstaining. The minutes note that McCain was hired, and was contacted by phone and accepted.

McCain is Salley's brother-in-law but James Y. Dale, special assistant attorney general, stated in an opinion for the board that the position of "director" (coordinator) was not one of the prohibited classes of employment in the state nepotism statute.

McCain, of Tomnolen, is working at the same location as he did in his previous position of maintenance superintendent at The Wood Institute in Mathiston. The county Emergency Management Agency-911 Center is located there on the first floor of the former Science Annex. He currently serves as Tomnolen's fire chief and the county's assistant EMA director.

911 Dispatchers

The newly appointed coordinator was at the board's regular monthly meeting Monday. After McCain asked the board various questions concerning his salary, benefits and authority in making decisions, board attorney Buchanan Meek Jr. agreed to prepare a written job description for him based upon their discussions that morning.

McCain then presented the board with his recommendations for full-time and part-time E911 dispatchers. After some discussion, the board voted to accept the list of dispatchers as recommended, with their hiring to take effect immediately upon acceptance.

Hired as full-time dispatchers were Tiana O'Briant, Libby Brand, Christine Denley and Jimmy McLemore. O'Briant, Brand and Denley are already certified dispatchers, and O'Briant and Brand now work as dispatchers at the sheriff's office. McLemore is employed at NMMC-Eupora.

Hired as part-time dispatchers were Nanette Buford, Vanyetta B. Holmes, Lisa P. Odom, Stephen S. Mitchell, Phil W. Gammel, Shane Box, Heather Box and Eugene Doss (county EMA director).

Starting hourly pay was set at $10.25 for the full-time certified dispatcher serving as TAC (Terminal Agency Coordinator) officer, $10 for other full-time certified dispatchers, $9.50 for full-time dispatchers awaiting certification and part-time certified dispatchers, and $9 for part-time dispatchers awaiting certification.

McCain said he intends to start working only one dispatcher per 12-hour shift every other day as a cost-saving measure.

"With our situation money-wise, I think we need to give it a try," he told the board.

He explained that the dispatchers will have headsets and portable phones with them if they have to leave their console. The 911 Center has another console available if two dispatchers need to be on duty. Backup 911 dispatching is available at the sheriff's office but without recording capability.

When asked about the status of the 911 system being operational, McCain said, "We're at least two weeks away." He stated that AT&T wants to complete its "cutover" on Dec. 15. Jim McCreary of Precision Communications will be training the dispatchers.

The board recessed until Dec. 17.

WPT Staff Writer Ruthie Robison contributed to this report.