Branch County will return to the bargaining table with its 911 Dispatch employees on Feb. 1 after their contract ended with 2016.
The staff is full again with the hiring of two new employees, Rachel Olsen, hired in October and Elizabeth Kaiser, hired in November. They are currently undergoing in house training. Before 2012, over 14 years, 911 Director Kurt Spalding hired three people as replacement staff. Since the Branch County Commission implemented a two tier new hire reduced pay scale in 2012, Spalding has hired 14 new replacement people.