KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM/FM) — The reason Kalamazoo voters crushed a proposal for a phone surcharge to fund consolidated dispatch this spring was a mystery until Thursday, and the answer was a surprise.
The dispatch authority hired a pollster to find out. Undersheriff Pali Matyas said the survey found that voters were not persuaded by opposition by the Fraternal Order of Police or complaints from dispatchers that they might lose their jobs.
He said people just really disliked the surcharge. In fact, he said they would have preferred a property tax hike to the surcharge. The pollster found that most people think they’re already paying more than enough for their cell service and intensely disliked the idea of paying more.
They also suggested that low voter turnout may have played a role in its defeat.
The authority is currently working on a new funding approach and the poll may help them shape that decision.
