KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo County’s Consolidated Dispatch Authority met for the first time since voters trounced their request for a phone surcharge to fund the operation.
Finance Committee Chair Ron Reid says they are looking at several of the alternatives they passed over, including assessing each of the five current dispatch operators an annual charge based on their population. They will also be looking at a millage or some combination of the two. There are only a few ways they are permitted under state law to fund such an entity.
Sheriff Rick Fuller says before any decisions are made they hope to hold forums, do a survey and possibly create a citizens advisory committee to figure out what happened at the polls and better connect with the public.
They wanted to make it clear that the decision has already been made to consolidate the county’s five dispatch centers. Their only task now is to figure out how to make it work.
Committees will take on the tasks discussed yesterday and report back in a month.
