The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, at a meeting held in Cottonwood on Wednesday, May 17, donated a portion of the funds from Proposition 207 marijuana sales in Arizona to 911 dispatchers at the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. has unanimously approved the funding of the recruitment and retention bonus program.

YCSO has 19 authorized posts to staff dispatch centers as 911 operators and two communications supervisors, according to meeting documents. “Over the past year, our company has struggled to maintain staffing levels and currently maintains a 42% employment rate. [eight positions] Vacant. From the fiscal year to the present, temporary workers have worked a cumulative 1,904 hours of overtime to fill shifts due to vacancies. ”

According to Sheriff David Rose, the recruiting process was not going well, with only one new hire about a month ago.

“The end date is when we’re all staffed, but that’s a moving target because people come and go,” Rose said at a conference. “Our idea is when we turn 22. [filled positions] If paid, that will be the end date, but it will be a full year before that happens. ”

New bonuses are valid for one year. Rhodes said future bonuses approved beyond that point will continue to be paid out of the marijuana fund if staffing levels do not improve.

Operators and supervisors each receive $5,000. An employee on his YCSO roster at the end of June, every six months he will receive two payments of $2,500. Employees hired after June will receive four payments of $1,250 during their first year of employment with the division.

Rose also confirmed that the YCSO Town Hall meeting with the Sedona community scheduled earlier this year is still postponed.