County dispatch chief urges 0.2% sales-tax measure to fund Westcom upgrades

Esther Click, communications manager for Westcom (Walla Walla Emergency Services Communications), asked the Walla Walla County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 27 to place a 0.2% sales-and-use tax on the fall 2025 ballot to provide sustainable funding for the county's 911 dispatch center.

Click told commissioners the center answered 23,341 911 calls last year and 60,425 nonemergency administrative calls, for a total of 83,766 phone contacts; dispatchers created 57,378 calls for service in the computer-aided dispatch system. Click said the center currently staffs 15 people (12 dispatchers and three supervisors) and recommended hiring three additional dispatchers so a minimum of three trained staff would be on duty at all times.

"We took 23,341 9-1-1 calls last year," Click said. "I would say we need a minimum of three more dispatchers, which would create a minimum of three on the floor at all times." She said aging radio and IT equipment is at end of life, that the facility has seismic exposure and flood risk, and that the center has handled a growing share of behavioral-health incidents.

Why it matters: Click said county revenue estimates based on 2023 Treasurer's data would yield roughly $1.7 million at 0.1% and about $3.4 million at 0.2% if the county authorized the levy under RCW 82.14.420 (sales-and-use tax for emergency communication systems). She told the board she is asking that any measure be perpetual and noted the ballot-placement deadline of Aug. 5, 2025. Click said a sales tax would reduce or replace user fees currently billed to local agencies and that those agencies would be able to use the freed funding for other public-safety costs.

Click and public-safety leaders discussed tradeoffs including public education needs, the potential to use conversational AI to triage nonemergency calls, facility risks and the limits on how existing E-911 excise funds may be spent. Click said state E-911 grant and E-911 phone excise tax revenue cannot be used for radios or facilities, a constraint that helps explain the need for a separate local revenue source.

City and county chiefs voiced support for moving the measure toward public consideration. "If the system fails right now, it's a catastrophic event," said Chris Budis, police chief, adding that a new revenue source would allow agencies to shift current user fees to internal needs like body cameras or staffing. Sheriff Kreider and Chief Wood (fire) also spoke in support during the meeting.

Next steps: Diane Harris, Clerk of the Board, asked to prepare a memorandum outlining required steps, deadlines and public-hearing timing; commissioners agreed to have staff produce that plan before the board considers a formal resolution to place a measure on the ballot. No formal vote to place the measure on the ballot occurred during the Jan. 27 meeting.

Clarifying details and sources: Click cited 2023 Treasurer's figures when estimating county revenue at 0.1% ($1.7 million) and 0.2% ($3.4 million) and referenced RCW 82.14.420 as the statutory authority enabling a local sales-and-use tax for emergency communications. She reported 327 incidents explicitly labeled mental-health calls in 2024 and identified roughly 767 incidents with behavioral-health characteristics in the dispatch data; she characterized the 327 and 767 figures as dispatch-system counts, not clinical diagnoses.

Ending: Commissioners requested a written timeline and options from staff and scheduled a public-hearing step before any ballot placement decision. Click said she would support and participate in an educational campaign if the board moves forward.