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At Monday’s Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Eddie Virden spoke on the problem his department has regarding the shortage in dispatchers on staff. He says if something isn’t done by the end of the month, the department could be in real trouble. 

Those who have left have been leaving to take better paying jobs elsewhere. To incentivize personnel to stay and come work for the Sheriff’s Office, Virden suggested a pay increase for the dispatchers, whose base pay is $2,400 a month. The recommendation was to increase that to $2,800 with a sign-on bonus.

District One Commissioner Randall Jones understands the dire situation that the department is in and he wants to make sure the current staff members are able to get rewarded for their hard work. 

Overall, this will increase the Sheriff’s Department budget by $51,000. The Board will use money from the American Rescue Plan Act and dip into the General Fund to take care of this budget increase.

If you are interested in becoming an E-911 Dispatcher, you can pick up an application at the Osage County Sheriff’s Office in Pawhuska.