CECOM seeks staff, subscriber fees and grants as Cochise County work session outlines path to self-sufficiency

Cochise County supervisors on May 1 heard a budget presentation on CECOM, the countys regional public-safety communications partnership, that outlined plans to increase staffing, change subscriber fees and pursue state grant funding to move the center toward self-sufficiency.

Tammy Jo Wilkins, executive director of CECOM, told the Board of Supervisors at a work session in Bisbee that the center handled about 127,405 calls for service in the most recent year and that 911 call volume was up year-over-year; as of the Monday before the meeting she said the center had recorded 66,615 total calls and 17,009 911 calls and was "on track to beat these numbers in the next year." The presentation included staffing, equipment and grant requests for fiscal 2025-26.

The presentation is significant because Cochise County and the city of Sierra Vista currently underwrite most unresolved budget shortfalls for CECOM; county and city officials said expanding the subscriber base and standardizing fees would reduce that burden. The board discussed how new subscriber revenue and a possible change to the joint governance structure could allow CECOM to operate as a separate legal entity and reduce county and city administrative support over time.

CECOM operations and staffing: Wilkins said the center is adding dispatch positions and…