While operations of the Webster County 911 dispatch center were being handed over to New Jersey-based IXP, there was about a two-week period where there was an overlap in payments, according to Webster County Chief Deputy Rod Strait, the chairman of the Webster County Telecommunications Board.

And now the board, which met on Thursday, is trying to determine how to best handle the overlap.

According to Bowser and Richman LLP, certified public accountants and consultants, the board outsourced its payroll in July with the hire of IXP in the amount of $46,666.67.

Daniel Posluszny, the regional manager for IXP who is overseeing the Webster County dispatch operations, said that payment is a flat fee.

Meanwhile, payroll was also processed through Webster County Telecom for July 1 through July 14 for most employees. Some were processed through the month of August.

The overlap accounts for about $16,458.47 that was paid in wages and benefits for employees.

Nick Carlson, Telecom Board member, suggested seeking advice from the board’s attorney, Ryan Kehm, on the matter.

Strait had previously said the situation is like using taxpayer money twice to pay for employees.

“We just need to account for taxpayer money and that it’s being spent properly,” Strait said.

In other business, Posluszny provided an update on IXP’s management of the communications center.

The Telecom board approved a contract with IXP during the summer to take over management of the dispatch center. The contract is set for five years, but the Telecom Board can opt out if it is not satisfied with the service. The first-year cost for the firm’s services is $560,000.

Posluszny said nine full-time and five part-time employees are working in the center.

Uniforms for dispatchers will be ordered in the coming weeks, he said.

“We hope by mid-October to have the full uniform,” Posluszny said. “We will provide three shirts to each employee — short and long sleeve. Footwear should be black.”

Posluszny said an updated version of policies and procedures will be established in the coming weeks.

In October, IXP will begin a quality assurance plan, where 15 to 20 calls per month will be randomly reviewed to determine that procedures were followed appropriately.

Also during the meeting, Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter, a Telecom Board member, said he met with Posluszny and about how to improve fire rescue protocol.

“We met this morning,” he said. “We talked about some revisions. I think with the county fire committee, you are sitting good with them, too. We had some good ideas to improve things and even going to the digital system where dispatchers take a little more of a role. We are going to look at the medical part of it and what kind of information they are gathering from callers to give that information to us to help us do a tiered response instead of sending everything to every call. Not medical dispatch, but just getting good information from the caller and getting that to the Fire/EMS staff.”