IXP will not reimburse the Webster County Telecommunications Board for the two week overlap in payments when the operations of the Webster County 911 dispatch center were being handed over to the New Jersey-based firm.

“Ryan Kehm (attorney) went to IXP and by his review of the contract and the cost, that was written into what it cost,” said Chief Deputy Rod Strait, who is the chairman of the Telecom board. “They (IXP) are not open to reimbursing.”

The board outsourced its payroll in July when it hired IXP, of Princeton, New Jersey, in the amount of $46,666.67 a month, which is a flat fee, according to Strait.

Meanwhile, payroll was also processed through Webster County Telecom for July 1 through July 14 for most employees. During that period, some employees were paid by IXP and some were paid by the Telecom board.

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

“We moved faster than they originally proposed,” Strait said. “We created the situation by necessity. We had employees who were threatening to walk out the door, so we had to do something.”

No employees were paid twice, Strait clarified.

“No one was paid twice,” Strait said. “There’s nothing of that of any kind. We paid IXP for a service.”

Strait added, “We paid those employees that were ours. IXP paid employees that were theirs. However, we paid IXP the set fee. We paid IXP for a service and in that service included a transfer time.”

Fort Dodge Assistant Police Chief Cory Husske, a member of the Telecom board, said in theory the board could have waited. But at the time, IXP needed to be brought in sooner rather than later to ensure quality in the 911 dispatch center.

“We could have waited until the original proposed and signed start date, but we couldn’t feasibly do that,” Husske said. “This is basically the heart ache of starting 30 days sooner than we anticipated.”

Strait agreed.

“It was out of necessity,” Strait said.

The transition has brought positive results to the communications center, according to Telecom board members.

Webster County Supervisor Nick Carlson, a Telecom board member and Fort Dodge firefighter, complimented the performance of dispatchers during a house fire call early Wednesday morning.

“You stayed super calm,” Carlson said. “Sometimes when someone is anxious with the call it makes everybody more anxious.”

Carlson said the dispatchers did “very well.”

Webster County Jail Administrator Steve Elifrits, a member of the Telecom board, said he’s noticed a difference in dispatch.

“It sounds very professional on the radio and makes a big difference,” Elifrits said.

Fort Dodge Police Chief Roger Porter said he hasn’t heard any recent complaints from officers.

“I think things have been running a lot smoother,” Porter said.

Husske agreed.

“Any time in the past where we had one new hire, it’s frustrating while they are learning the ropes,” Husske said. “When you have six or more all learning at the same time — there have been some frustrations, but the officers understood. Now it seems like everybody is picking up the pace. Especially with having two dispatchers now around the clock, I’ve noticed people complimenting and saying things are moving along much better.”

Lead dispatcher Brittni Nelson reported that for the month of September, 911 dispatch answered 5,658 calls.

According to Nelson, 90 percent of the time the phone was answered within 10 seconds. She said 99% of the time, calls were answered within 20 seconds.