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Westcom asks College Place to back August ballot measure to fund 9-1-1 upgrades
Summary
Westcom manager Esther Click told the College Place City Council on June 24 that the Walla Walla County 9-1-1 center will ask voters on Aug. 5 to approve a local sales/use tax to fund radio and facility upgrades, staffing and operations.
Westcom manager Esther Click told the College Place City Council on June 24 that the Walla Walla County 9-1-1 center has reached a funding and infrastructure tipping point and will ask voters on Aug. 5 to approve a local sales and use tax to sustain operations.
Click said the center’s current budget of about $2.6 million—largely funded by user fees and a small share of state phone excise tax revenue—cannot reliably cover aging radio equipment, outdated computers and staffing needs. “This will be on the August 5 ballot,” Click said, adding the tax is proposed under state law (RCW 82.14) as a local sales-and-use option for 9-1-1.
Why it matters: Westcom provides 24/7 emergency-answering and dispatch services for Walla Walla County including College Place. Click said the center answered about 83,000 calls in 2024 and created 57,378 calls-for-service; staffing and technology have not been modernized since 1997,…
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