With a split vote and some consternation, the Porter County Council agreed to a salary for a new 911 Communications director at around $93,000, after voicing concerns that the top candidate for the post lives in Illinois.
During a Tuesday meeting at the Dunes Acres Clubhouse, part of the council’s “On the Road” series of meetings in different spots around the county, the council voted 4-3 for the salary increase, part of a reorganization of the public safety department.
Council members Mike Jessen, R-4th, Jeff Larson, R-at large, Bob Poparad, D-1st, and Greg Simms, D-3rd, voted in favor of the salary. Council President Dan Whitten, D-At large, and members Sylvia Graham, D-at large, and Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, voted against it.
Michael Brickner resigned as the county’s public safety director in January after 16 months. His role was to oversee the Emergency Management Agency and 911 Communications. At the time of Brickner’s hire, commissioners said they were hiring a 911 director and then changed direction.
The 911 director, Robert Lanchsweerdt, was hired by commissioners almost two years ago and recently submitted his resignation, effective Sept. 13. A former official with the South Bend Police Department, Lanchsweerdt told commissioners he wanted to return to law enforcement. His salary for 2018 was $72,800, according to Gateway, the state’s online financial portal.
County attorney Scott McClure told the council that commissioners were restructuring public safety, dropping the director position and returning to having only EMA and 911 Communications directors. Lance Bella will remain as EMA director.
As part of the change, McClure said commissioners were requesting a bump in the 911 Communications salary to around $93,000. He confirmed the frontrunner for the job lives in Illinois and is unlikely to move, and added there is no requirement for county employees to live in the county.
“I understand the market is tough and it’s an employees’ market because of 911 demand but I have great concern about our director of 911 directing 911 from out of state,” Whitten said. “That is a critical, critical position to be directing from Illinois.”
Council members said Lanchsweerdt, who still lives in South Bend, only worked four days a week in Porter County.
“I have concerns that there’s no buy-in into the county,” Graham said.
Poparad noted that 911 Communications has had five directors over the past 10 years.
“I don’t know if it’s realistic to have someone pull up roots if the average job experience is two years,” he said.
Simms added that many people live in Porter County and commute to Chicago, so he wasn’t worried about it.
Rivas asked if there was interest from any of the dispatchers, mostly women, in the job and McClure said there were at least two internal applicants.
McClure said commissioners have made clear they expect the new hire to work five days a week in the county and be available at all hours in case of an emergency.
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