County responds to grand jury report

Following recommendations from the Douglas County grand jury, the county's 911/technology services department and emergency management systems are set for a reshuffle.

Douglas County Manager T. Michael Brown outlined the first response to the grand jury's recommendations in a Sept. 29 report to county commissioners.

The changes were further warranted by the departure of 911/technology services Director Richard Mirgon who left the county shortly after the grand jury released a highly critical evaluation of his department in July.

"We have put key personnel in place to manage the divisions within the department and created work groups to empower staff to be creative, resourceful and collaborative," Brown said in his report.

"The result, in my view, is an outpouring of support and ideas from county staff and the staff of the other agencies to which we provide services."

The grand jury was critical of infrastructure design and support, communications and planning, training and education and software support in the county's information systems division.

Brown said Mirgon would not be replaced and duties have been divided.

But, he added, that doesn't mean additional staff isn't necessary to keep the county's information systems running smoothly for county employees' 450 work stations.

"Our information system is such a critical part of our daily work to every employee," Brown said. "We intend to dedicate more services through additional staff."

Brown said the county hopes to realize savings by bring contracted work in-house and shortening the time-lag for information systems repairs and requests that at times are 90-100 track orders behind.

Even before the grand jury report was released, Brown organized an 11-member tech innovations group of "tech-savvy" employees from various departments.

"The purpose is to determine how we can better use technology to do our jobs, provide programs and services, and to accomplish the goals of the county," he said.

Members include Brown and Lisa Granahan, assistant to the county manager, and representatives from the clerk-treasurer's office, library, human resources, sheriff's office, East Fork Fire and Paramedics District, information systems, community development and communications.

Brown is recommending the county's emergency management services be under the jurisdiction of East Fork Fire and Paramedics District.

"They do that every day," Brown said.

"Our preliminary recommendation is to make 911 dispatch a stand-alone department in order to have a very focused effort on dispatch services," Brown said.

Brown said additional staff would be needed for the 911 communications department to address what the grand jury cited as the "gross inadequacy" of the radio equipment for communications between first-responders and dispatchers.

The county put together a radio users group of each agency that uses 911 services. That includes sheriff's office, East Fork Fire Department, Tahoe Douglas Fire Department and Alpine County Sheriff's Department.

"Our preliminary recommendation is to make 911 dispatch a stand-alone department in order to have a very focused effort on dispatch services," he said.

The county is looking at creation of a technology services department that would include communications, information systems and geographic informations systems.

Brown said staff has also been working on a maintenance program for all radio equipment.

"At least one additional staff member will be needed for the communications department to be able to handle the work load of the additional equipment and maintenance that has been increasing in the county," Brown said in his report.

He is recommending the additional of a telecommunications technician to handle nonradio-related maintenance so the two radio technicians can focus on radios exclusively.

The county is looking at the East Peak repeater site, described by the grand jury as "unsecured and vulnerable."

East Peak is a main transmission site for sherif's office radio traffic with a backup site on the valley side of Genoa Peak.