SPOKANE, WA – Spokane taxpayers are on the hook for about $100 million over the next five years as the city transitions to a new dispatch service, according to a report obtained by The Center Square.
The Spokane City Council voted Monday to officially stand up the new emergency dispatch center, but not everyone knew how much it would cost. While the Spokane Police Department already handles its own calls for the most part, the Spokane Fire Department has relied on a regional partnership since 2022.
Spokane Regional Emergency Communications serves as the primary public safety answering point, or PSAP, for almost the entire county. SREC engaged in negotiations with the city for years in hopes that SPD would fully commit, but that came to a close in June when officials voted to kick the city out of it…