Should Dane County's 911 center oversight board have been kept in the dark about an internal investigation into the mishandled 911 call from Brittany Zimmermann's cell phone the day she died?

The board's chairman this week defended his decision to cancel the regular meeting on April 16. But an outgoing representative said oversight board members "could have helped in some way."

"In hindsight, I'm pretty upset about it," said County Board member Bob Salov of Cambridge. "Knowing now that this incident happened prior to that meeting, it would have been the appropriate time to spill the beans."

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said Tuesday the oversight board was not notified of the internal investigation because that would have meant revealing information about an ongoing police investigation.

Dane County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Ron Boylan, who was briefed about the internal investigation the week of the canceled meeting, characterized the internal investigation as a "personnel matter," which "are not the purview of the center board."

"To take a briefing on a personnel matter has not been something that has come up in the past," Boylan said.

A 2004 "strategic plan" for the 911 center called for a stronger, more independent oversight board. The report identified the board's role as vetting the director, critiquing the budget, reviewing the center's training plan, reviewing complaints against the center and establishing department operating procedures, though it notes "this does not extend to personnel policies except as they pertain to the director."

Salov said questions about the 911 center's staffing levels make the oversight board's role all the more critical, which is why he cried foul about not being reappointed to the county's Public Protection and Judiciary Committee two weeks ago. That meant he could no longer serve on the 911 center oversight board, which must include a committee member who is not from Madison.

Salov is a certified emergency medical technician who puts in between 100 and 150 hours of EMT work a month.

"There's nothing I've done bad at all," Salov said. "It's interfering with the efficient operation of the 911 Center when you don't appoint the most experienced person on issues of criminal justice and 911."

County Board Chairman Scott McDonell said he didn't return Salov to the committee for several reasons, including a position Salov took on a budget item and a statement he made to McDonell that he didn't trust him.

"I didn't appreciate him not taking me at my word," McDonell said.