DAKOTA COMMUNICATIONS CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY

The mission of the Dakota Communications Center is to serveand protect public safety by providing a vital communicationslink between the community and their public safety responders.We recognize both as our customers.

In furtherance of our mission, we are committed to:

• The highest standards of integrity and customer service

• Efficient and effective acquisition and dissemination ofinformation

• Accountability for performance and conduct

• Continuous improvement through professionaldevelopment

This is an exceptional opportunity for a seasoned professional toprovide on-going transformational leadership and management toa multi-jurisdictional, consolidated, public safety communicationscenter.

The current Executive Director has announced her retirementeffective May 31, 2016. She has been with the DakotaCommunications Center (DCC) since its creation and will beleaving a six year legacy of very successful leadership for theorganization as its Executive Director. The next ExecutiveDirector will be instrumental in building on this legacy andassisting the DCC continue to evolve as a mature, anticipatory,and professional organization.

THE CITIES AND DAKOTACOUNTYDakota County is the third largest in Minnesota and one of ninecounties included in the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board’sarea of responsibility. The county is bordered by the Minnesota andMississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east.Located south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Dakota County is set in arolling landscape of farms, lakes, forests and streams, including theVermillion River, characterized as the only trophy trout stream withina major U. S. metropolitan area.

The county was the site of historical events at Mendota that definedthe state’s future, including providing materials for the construction of

Fort Snelling across the Mississippi River and the signing of the Treatyof Traverse des Sioux which ceded land from the native Dakotanation for the Minnesota Territory. The county's history was initiallytied to the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, bothstrategically important for United States’ expansion and to the Dakotaand Ojibwe nations who regarded the site as sacred.

Influence shifted westward during the post-World War II settlementboom when Interstate 35 connected the western half of the countyto Minneapolis and Saint Paul and bedroom communities grew.Most residents work outside the county, although Dakota Countycontinues to develop a broad mix of industries and jobs and it hasa significant and growing commercial base.

According to the 2010 Census, Dakota County had a populationof 398,552. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2015population to be 415,000 with a projected population of 488,000by 2020. Approximately 95% of the County's residents live in theeleven DCC member cities, while the remainder reside in smallcities and rural townships.

The cities and county have a strong tradition of collaborationthroughout the region that has produced a high quality lifestyle withan excellent system of schools, libraries, public services, and a vibrantbusiness climate. Residents and visitors to the cities and county enjoya variety of recreational opportunities available in abundant sportsfacilities, golf courses and beautiful county and regional parks. In2013, 93% of Dakota County residents said the quality of life wasexcellent or good.

DAKOTA COMMUNICATIONSCENTER DCC was established in late 2005 through a Joint PowersAgreement between Dakota County and eleven cities locatedwithin the County. DCC members include Dakota County and thecities of: Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Hastings,Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Mendota Heights, Rosemount,South St. Paul and West St. Paul.

In 2004 the High Performance Partnerships (HiPP) project,conducted by the Dakota County cities and the County, identifiedthe need for a centralized public safety answering point (PSAP)and dispatch center. A combination of factors – attention to

homeland security, upgrades in technology, the readiness ofvarious governmental units to act, the availability of grantmoney, and the financial benefits to participating governments– served to bring the idea to reality.

All dispatch staff at five existing centers were offeredemployment at the DCC. Over 90% accepted employment inthe new organization, assuring that the existing experience andknowledge of the operations was not lost. There are now 66employees working at the DCC, 61 of these are in dispatchoperations.

The DCC organization is guided by a complex governancestructure with three distinct committees including the Board ofDirectors (elected officials), the Executive Committee(city/county chief administrators), and the OperationsCommittee (law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel). Thegovernance structure reflects the desire of the members to retainlocal decision making in a centralized service. However, theincoming Executive Director will be asked to evaluate thisstructure and help develop a model that reflects an organizationthat has moved past the startup phase and is now more maturein its operations.

Construction of the facility began in 2006 and was completedin late 2007. The DCC is equipped with a new 800 megahertzdigital radio communications system to allow police, fire, EMSand sheriff’s personnel in multiple jurisdictions to communicatewith each other, enhancing the interoperability of radio systemsamong all first responders. The DCC system is part of a regionaland State-wide interoperable radio system.

In 2015, 204,611 incoming 9-1-1 calls were answered alongwith 139,813 calls on the 10-digit administrative lines. Thisresulted in 22,345 Fire/EMS calls for service with an additional291,046 law enforcement events.

The DCC operates on a calendar fiscal year. The 2016approved operating budget is $8.6 million. Of that amount,approximately 66% is allocated for personal services with 30%allocated for contractual and similar expenses. The majorrevenue source is membership fees (approximately 92% in2016). Membership has remained constant since the DCC wascreated. The operating budget (and, therefore, membership

fees) has remained stable over recent years due to carefulfinancial planning and budgeting, including for capitalexpenditures which are reflected in a 10 year capital plan. TheDCC contracts with the City of Lakeville for fiscal servicesincluding payroll, accounts payable and receivable, andmonthly reports. The City also assists with budget preparationand arranges for the annual audit.

ABOUT THE POSITIONThe Executive Director is appointed by and responsible to theDCC Center Board of Directors. Specific duties include:

• Carrying out all personnel actions including hiring,performance evaluations, promotions and disciplineincluding terminations.

• Being the spokesperson for the DCC includingcommunications with the media and public on routineand urgent matters.

• Maintaining trust and confidence with the emergencyresponse professionals and the community at large.

• Coordinating human resource activities including laborrelations (contract negotiations are assisted through athird party), pay plan administration, benefitadministration, insurance programs, and workercompensation administration.

• Preparing and presenting the annual budget and ten-year Capital Improvement Plan. Financial expertise andassistance is provided by the City of Lakeville.

• Providing oversight of the organization’s fiscalmanagement.

• Coordinating the drafting and execution of all vendorand system contracts.

• Ensuring citizen calls for emergency and non-emergencyassistance are promptly and effectively answered andthat requests for public safety assistance are prioritizedand dispatched.

• Ensuring agendas and supporting materials for all Boardand Committee meetings facilitate effective decisionmaking.

• Coordinating and attending all meetings of theBoard of Directors and the Executive Committee.

• Attending Operations Committee and sub-committee meetings.

• Overseeing and coordinating the maintenanceand installation of all emergency communicationsequipment.

• Making recommendations to the ExecutiveCommittee and the Board of Directors regardingorganizational changes.

• Recommending and establishing procedures andpractices to ensure efficient operations inconsultation with the Operations Committee.

Photo courtesy of Wold Architects and Engineers

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Education and ExperienceCandidates for the position of Executive Director must hold aBachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university inPublic Administration, Business Administration, InformationSystems Management, Criminal Justice, EmergencyManagement or a closely related field and possess five yearsof progressively responsible supervisory experience in agovernment public safety environment.

Desirable qualifications include: A Master’s degree in PublicAdministration, Business Administration, Information SystemsManagement, Criminal Justice, Emergency Management or aclosely related field; advanced training and/or certification inpublic safety, technology or related fields; five years of directorlevel experience in a large, governmentally-operated, publicsafety communications organization; and experience workingfor a joint powers or similar type of organization.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills • Demonstrated success as a strong leader and supervisor

or manager in a public safety communications center ofsimilar size and complexity preferred.

• Experience and knowledge of CAD systems; callprocessing protocols; interoperability and complexemergency dispatch protocols as applied to lawenforcement, fire and EMS in a metropolitan and semi-rural environment with both career and paid on-call publicsafety personnel.

• Knowledge of development, implementation andmaintenance of geographic data base information.

• Knowledge of management/supervisory principles andpractices.

• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws andregulations related to public safety communicationssystems.

• Thorough understanding of law enforcement, fire andEMS operations.

• Proven people-management and budgeting skills.

• Knowledge of available federal and state funding throughgrants and other sources.

• A strong commitment to diversity in hiring and in thecommunity.

• Broad supervisory experience and knowledge of humanresource activities including union labor relations, payplans, benefits, insurance and workers compensationadministration.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Strategic thinking, planning and process improvementskills.

• Ability to envision and achieve desired outcomes throughclearly defined programs and initiatives and to convince othersthat the selected course of action is the appropriate one.

• Expertise and demonstrated experience in intergovernmentalrelations.

• Demonstrated self-confidence.

• Willingness to listen, to be approachable and to take timeto understand needs and situations.

• Excellent negotiating skills.

• Experience with project management, working successfullywith vendors and writing requests for proposals.

Management Style, Abilities andPersonal Traits • Unquestionable ethics and high moral character.

• Excellent facilitation skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills.

• Ability to proactively identify the DCC’s needs anddevelop effective solutions.

• Innovative and collaborative style that values input fromdiverse perspectives.

• Ability to communicate effectively and credibly with theboard, committees, councils, public, staff, emergencypersonnel, press and others.

• Training and teambuilding skills.

• Professional manner with a deep sense of customerservice.

• Ability to build coalitions within the member entities andthe larger community.

• Ability to focus on leadership and management of theorganization including inspiring and mentoring staff,treating all staff with respect and valuing their input.

• Ability to be politically savvy without being political.

MAJOR INITIATIVES FORTHE FUTUREThe DCC along with its member agencies has endeavored toprovide quality services by staying ahead of the curve onissues. Currently identified issues which the DCC believesimportant to address include:

• CAD implementation is nearing completion. The DCC’sdata processing contractor, Local GovernmentInformation Systems (LOGIS) and the DCC are workingto ensure that the configuration and training is completeby this spring. Making sure that implementation goessmoothly will be a priority. In addition, the DCC will beexploring the option for CAD to CAD interface withpartnering 9-1-1 centers to enhance its ability to transferinformation from one center to another in a clear,efficient manner.

• Communications technology is quickly evolving. TheDCC believes its future technology needs includechanging methodology for fire/EMS alerting, audiologging which will combine voice and data, telematicswhich will give detailed information from vehiclesinvolved in accidents and text to 9-1-1.

• Work force recruitment is becoming more challenging asthe profession becomes more complex. With thechanging technology as well as the challengingpsychological and emotional stress, the DCC will need todevelop new ways of training to prepare staff for thepotential onslaught of videos and pictures from crimescenes. The DCC will also need to remain competitivewith wages and benefits to attract the best candidates.The Training Supervisor will be retiring in September,2016 and attracting the right person to fill this criticalposition will be a top priority.

• Governance structures must evolve to meet current needsand realities. The current governance structure of aBoard of Directors, Executive Committee and OperationsCommittee with several sub-committees has served theDCC well since its creation. However, the organizationfeels it is time to examine how that structure might nowbe changed to reflect the organization’s now moremature and developed status.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITSThe starting salary for the Executive Director position is negotiable, depending on qualifications. The starting salary isexpected to be in the range of $90,000 to $146,000 per annum. The DCC also offers an excellent fringe benefitspackage including employer contributions toward comprehensive health and dental benefits; participation in the PublicEmployees Retirement Association (PERA), a State administered defined benefit retirement program; life insurance; anddisability insurance. The DCC also provides a very attractive vacation and other leave package.

HOW TO APPLYFor additional information on this outstanding opportunity or to apply, please contact:

Jim Miller, Senior Vice PresidentThe Mercer Group, Inc.2119 Lake Augusta Drive, Mendota Heights, MN 55120612-581-9972 jf_miller@outlook.com

Or

Jim Mercer, President/CEO The Mercer Group, Inc.5579B Chamblee Dunwoody Road, #511Atlanta, GA 30338770-551-0403 jmercer@mercergroupinc.com

This position is open until filled. Please send cover letters and resumes, preferably via e-mail, to one of the searchconsultants above. First review of resumes will be conducted on July 15.

Women and minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply!

DAKOTA COMMUNICATIONS CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Photo courtesy of Wold Architects and Engineers