Sutter County to temporarily shift dispatch services
Dec. 6—Starting today, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office is expected to transfer all 911 and business lines through the Yuba County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center during overnight hours, Sheriff Brandon Barnes officially announced over the weekend.
Currently, the dispatch center has two individuals staffed, Barnes said late last month during a board of supervisors meeting when he also publicly announced the temporary change was expected to happen.
On Sunday, Barnes posted a notice on social media about the shift of services that are expected to last for a period of about 90 days. Barnes said Yuba County will be handling Sutter County's calls from midnight to 8 a.m. each day for that 90-day period. He said there will be "no noticeable interruptions in service to the public" and that "all business line numbers for the Sutter County Sheriff's Office will remain the same to the public but will be re-routed to Yuba County Dispatch."
Barnes said the change was necessary because of staffing shortages that have plagued the Sutter County Dispatch Center. These shortages, among others within the department, were emphasized by county officials in an effort to bring in more revenue by way of Measure A to fill vacancies and compete with surrounding jurisdictions.
Measure A, a proposed one cent sales tax measure, was rejected by Sutter County voters in the recent Nov. 8 general election.
In the run up to Election Day, Barnes released a video that highlighted the challenges he feels are currently faced within the department and county. As part of his reasoning for supporting the measure, Barnes mentioned the fact that 51 of 58 counties in California either have a "county or a city in that county" with a similar tax measure already in place. Sutter County residents currently pay a 7.25% rate while surrounding counties and jurisdictions have higher rates and better opportunities for revenue — Sutter County officials have said that the county is restricted in its ability to generate revenue from taxes based on limitations due to federal floodplain designations.
In the video, Barnes said there were 17 vacancies in "sheriff's patrol" and nine vacancies in "911 dispatch" at the time. Since then, Barnes said his department has been able to hire "several new dispatchers," but that it will "take months for them to be properly trained to provide services." He credited the Sutter County Board of Supervisors for recently approving an increase in the salaries for dispatchers in the county.
"For Sutter County, temporarily partnering with Yuba County is the most cost-effective solution because some of the technical support for 9-1-1 data lines are already in place," Barnes said. "Sutter County is thankful for Yuba County's support and partnership to ensure we maintain the high public safety standards we have set for our respective communities."
Late last month after the defeat of Measure A, District 3 Supervisor Mike Ziegenmeyer said he would like to have meetings with area officials about a possible "joint dispatch center" that could be shared by Sutter County, Yuba County, Marysville and Yuba City.
"We're gonna do whatever it takes to support public safety," he said.
