(The Center Square) – Spokane Regional Emergency Communications announced Thursday that it will allow Spokane to remain in the network until 2028 as the city stands up its own 911 dispatch services.
The SREC Governing Board voted last January to kick the city out of the network after disagreements over funding and voting power. The breaking point was a law the state passed months later, requiring Spokane County to give the city some of the tax revenue funding their regional 911 dispatch services.
Mayor Lisa Brown hired consultants last spring who said it would cost the city nearly $100 million to stand up a dispatch service over the next five years. The launch would take at least 14 months, but ideally two years, despite SREC’s 2026 deadline. Each party agreed to an extension until 2028 on Thursday…