Former 911 Director Evaluations Show Steady Performance DeclineFormer 911 Director Evaluations Show Steady Performance Decline

4/18/14 - A review of performance evaluations showed a significant drop in multiple factors for Livingston County’s former 911 director. The employee performance evaluations for former 911 Central Dispatch Director Don Arbic were obtained by WHMI under a Freedom of Information Act request following his abrupt resignation earlier this month. Arbic generally exceeded requirements and expectations in 2010 and 2011 when he was first hired and tasked with completing different projects to improve the public safety system. One was a complete rewrite of the Emergency Management Plan among three others. But as of the most recent evaluation in February, all four had not been completed. The evaluations were conducted by Administrator Belinda Peters, who noted in 2013 that the learning curve and departmental challenges continued and Arbic needed to focus on enhancing the core functionality of the department but also improve his relationships with peers, department directors and board-authorized professionals. The last two annual evaluations indicated Arbic needed to follow chain-of-command and noted problems with other department directors or managers should have been brought to Peters for resolution, prior to “berating in front of subordinate employees.” The evaluations also stipulated Arbic eliminate derogatory comments to subordinates. Staffing also appears to have been an issue. Additional goals and objectives outlined that Arbic immediately fill dispatcher vacancies for a full contingent but also continue employee training programs to improve customer service and quality control. The most recent evaluation stated that Arbic needed to immediately revamp the hiring and training processes to improve recruitment, selection and retention. It also noted that over the past two years, the retention rate of new hires was just 43% and that in the past four years, more than $123,000 was spent on background checks and psychological exams. Facing a discharge of his employment, Arbic resigned April 4th, signing an agreement that gave him a payout of nearly $23,000 in unused sick time in exchange for his waiver of any future legal claims. EMS Director Jeff Boyd has been named as the interim Director for Central Dispatch until a full-time replacement is found. (JM/JK)