LaSalle County committee approves shifting sheriff dispatchers from 8‑hour to 12‑hour shifts

County staff presented and the LaSalle County Salary & Labor Committee voted Nov. 19 to approve an amendment to the elected officials contract to convert sheriff’s dispatchers from 8‑hour to 12‑hour shifts. The committee approved the measure by voice vote after a staff presentation and brief questions.

The staff presenter (Unidentified Speaker 2) told the committee that the change was negotiated with the sheriff’s office and AFSCME and is designed to keep the same 80‑hour work period and total compensation while changing how leave accrues: “We’ve put together a letter of agreement to modify the contract with the elected officials to transfer the dispatchers from 8 hours to 12 hours,” the presenter said. Staff said the union has signed off and the proposal is planned to take effect Jan. 5.

Supporters said the move should reduce overtime costs and give dispatchers longer days off for personal appointments. After the vote, another speaker (Unidentified Speaker 5) told the committee the dispatch center had logged 340 overtime hours between Oct. 30 and Nov. 7 and said, “If we were on twelves, that would have been half of what they have right now.”

The committee recorded the motion (mover: Mike McEnery; second: James Bailey) and approved it by voice vote; the transcript does not list nay votes. The amendment applies only to the dispatch positions and does not change the department’s elected‑officials contract beyond the provisions needed to convert relevant 8‑hour references to 12‑hour references for those employees.

The committee did not attach additional changes to compensation levels; staff and the union said the arrangement alters scheduling and leave accrual without changing base pay. Committee members asked staff to monitor results and retain the option to revert to the prior schedule if the change produces negative outcomes.