3 days Ago
We are the Lewis County Dispatchers Guild, and we want to express our full support for the upcoming two-tenths of 1% tax initiative that will be on the November 2024 ballot. This tax is crucial for the continued success and efficiency of the Lewis County 911 center, which plays a vital role dispatching and coordinating the police, fire and emergency medical service responses throughout the entire county. The current funding mechanism for the 911 center is inadequate and unsustainable, and for years has made maintaining staffing levels to meet the increasing demand for services as well as maintaining and upgrading systems that are vital for receiving calls from the public and dispatching emergency resources a very real challenge.
We support this tax initiative because we want to serve the citizens and visitors of Lewis County with the utmost urgency, quality and professionalism and we know the support of the communities we serve will provide us the greatest opportunity to do so. The approval of this initiative would grant the funding needed to provide us with the tools we need to serve our community to the highest degree. It would allow our agency to upgrade our aging systems to enhance efficiency, introduce emerging technologies to provide a more effective service, and it would bring Lewis County in line with most counties in Washington state that have already adopted similar funding models for their 911 centers to significantly reduce their reliance on residents’ property taxes to provide this essential service.
We believe that passing this initiative is essential for the safety and wellbeing of the residents and visitors of Lewis County and that the success of this initiative would not only benefit the 911 center, but also the entire community by enhancing public safety and e mergency response services. Lewis County Dispatchers Guild Chehalis.
