Four new 911 dispatchers will join the Warren County Communications Center on Sept. 9, adding staff to the facility that handles every emergency call for Mason and Deerfield Township residents.

The Warren County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 on Tuesday, Aug. 11 to hire Tessa Jones, Matthew Horsley, Evan Clevenger and Hailie Edwards as full-time Emergency Communications Operators at $23.93 per hour, according to county resolutions adopted that day. Commissioner Grossmann moved each resolution, seconded by Commissioner Young, with Commissioner Jones also voting in favor.

All four start Sept. 9.

The hires come days after the county accepted the resignation of dispatcher Mackenzie Smiddy, effective Aug. 8. Smiddy had served at the center since June 2, 2025, roughly 14 months. A February 2026 department newsletter recognized her for staying on the line 23 minutes with an 11-year-old child left home alone until the child's mother arrived.

The center dispatches for 10 police agencies and 13 fire and EMS departments across Warren County, operating on four 12-hour shifts. It fielded 5,624 calls in August 2024 and more than 40,400 through that month year-to-date, according to department data.

The four new hires each face a drug screening, background check and 365-day probationary period before their positions become permanent.

With Smiddy's departure effective Aug. 8 and the new operators not starting until Sept. 9, the center faces a 32-day window operating one position short. The resolutions do not specify whether additional vacancies existed before Smiddy left or whether the four hires represent net new positions.

As reported Aug. 14, the commissioners also canceled their Aug. 13 and Aug. 18 meetings at the same session, meaning no further board action is scheduled before the new dispatchers' start date.

Starting pay for the position has risen from $19.03 per hour in 2022 to the current $23.93, an increase of about 26 percent over four years.

Residents who need to reach Warren County Emergency Services can call 513-695-1315. The center is located at 520 Justice Drive in Lebanon.