911 Board accepts resignation of secretary

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
By Mike McCoy Statesman Staff Writer

The Stoddard County 911 Services Board of Directors voted to accept the resignation of Rebecca Lovelady at their regular July meeting held Thursday night. Lovelady was the secretary at the office in Dexter.

Carol Moreland, administrator of county 911 services, said Lovelady resigned to take a job with the Dexter Public School District. She said the board is discussing not replacing anyone in that position, due to the lack of funding. Stoddard County 911 receives revenue from a tax on land line phone use. That revenue has fallen as cell phone use has increased and the number of land lines continue to decrease, Moreland said.

Moreland said the board is also discussing closing the office a set number of days each week while the administrator is doing mapping and addressing. With Lovelady's resignation, Moreland will be the only full-time employee left. She said the 911 Board may look into using some part-time help.

"We hate to lose her and wish her the best," Moreland said of Lovelady's departure. "She was a great asset and we wish her the best."

There was little other regular business on the agenda Thursday. Address Committee chairman Dee Griffin reported that 13 new addresses were added in July, bringing the total for the year to 79.

Moreland told the board that she was planning a work day for taking the sign posts apart. The signs have been stored in a Stoddard County Ambulance Service building, but that building is to be torn down for an expansion. A new building for storing the posts was discussed at the June meeting of 911 Services, but Moreland said the signs could be stored in the current building if dismantled.

The board adjourned into executive session, and when they returned they voted to accept Lovelady's resignation.

Comments

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I thought a large building expansion was taking place. How can the 911 board be short of funds?

-- Posted by changedname on Tue, Jul 22, 2008, at 1:15 PM

Response by Administrator:

I just wanted to note that the Stoddard County Ambulance District is the board planning an expansion, not 911. The two boards are 100-percent, completely separate entities, but it is a common misconception that they are one and the same.

That is seperate. The building expansion is for Stoddard County Ambulance. The 911 is a seperate function from that. How can they be short on funds? Most of the 911 calls are coming from cell phones. In our state, there is no cell phone tax for the 911 useage. Landlines have it, but not cell phones. That is where 911 gets the revenue, not just Stoddard county, but every county in the state of Missouri.

-- Posted by aztecmomma on Tue, Jul 22, 2008, at 4:02 PM

I think we should tax the cell phones, as well as toy cell phones that kids use.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, Jul 22, 2008, at 9:02 PM