DEXTER 911 ADMINISTRATORS AT ODDS WITH STATE PANEL

DEXTER -- A decision by a state agency could prove costly over the long run for 911 operations throughout the state.

The Missouri Local Records Board is standing firm in requiring 911 operations to maintain tapes of 911 calls for five years, rather than the one or two years suggested by managers of the programs, according to Stoddard County 911 Services Administrator Bill Pippins Jr.

Pippins Thursday night told the county's 911 Board of Directors that program managers in the state had hoped to be able to clear off the tapes and reuse them after keeping them on file a year or two. That recommendation was part of the Missouri Emergency Number Association's proposed schedule for records retention presented recently to the Missouri Secretary of State's records board.

In addition to having to purchase more tapes than they had hoped to, local 911 operations will have to have adequate storage facilities for the recordings. "St. Louis City 911 can fill up one of those tapes in a day," he said. "They don't have a lock box (for the tapes); they have a vault."

Pippins said the directors of the Missouri Emergency Number Association were bothered by the records board's reaction to the group's proposed schedule. "We were incensed at what the secretary of state has done to our recommendations," he said.

That board has provided Pippins and other 911 administrators throughout the state with a schedule for retaining records. In addition to requiring tapes be maintained for five years, the schedule also calls for employee records to be kept on file for 75 years.

In other action during the 911 board's regular monthly session, the members agreed to have their Finance Committee meet with the Stoddard County Commission to discuss the county possibly helping fund the purchase of a new vehicle for use by Pippins both as the 911 administrator and the Stoddard County Emergency Management Agency director.

The board Thursday night heard four bids received from Dexter auto dealers for a new vehicle. The 911 agency had asked for bids on two particular models: A 2000 Ford Excursion and a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban. However, General Motors has not provided dealers with the new Suburban, nor has the automaker provided them with prices of the new vehicle.

As a result, the 911 decided to reject the four bids -- all of which were above $30,000 -- and ask the dealers if they wanted to submit bids again when information about the new Suburban becomes available.