Puyallup may spend a half-million dollars or more moving its emergency communications center to a larger building nearby, at a time when Pierce County is proposing a new dispatch agency that aims to take over calls in the East Pierce city and around the region.
City officials say they’ve talked for a couple of years about what to do about their cramped dispatch center. They say their relocation plan is unrelated to the county’s South Sound 911 plan, which has met with resistance from Puyallup leaders.
County voters in November will decide whether to approve a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax increase to help pay for the county’s $105 million plan.
Puyallup officials say moving their dispatch center is necessary because it’s too small, especially because it has picked up Sumner and Bonney Lake police calls in the last three years. Puyallup also dispatches for units that aren’t law enforcement-related, such as the city’s public works department.
Problems have emerged such as cross traffic on calls, said Ron Tiedeman, the city’s IT and communications director.
The center, on Pierce College’s Puyallup campus, is about 2,500 square feet and was designed for two dispatchers working at a time, he said. Today, four to six dispatchers are on duty at once.
The idea is to move the center to a city building nearby that isn’t used now. It’s about 1,000 square feet larger and used to hold the Development Services department and other workers.
The total cost of the relocation isn’t yet known, although it could be around $600,000, said City Manager Ralph Dannenberg. It would be paid for with money from a technology bond approved by the council five or six years ago, Tiedeman said.
The council hasn’t given final approval, although some members indicated during a meeting Tuesday that they liked the idea.
Mayor Kathy Turner said it sends a message that the city’s dispatch system is effective and that the city invests in it.
City Council members have been skeptical of the county’s 911 proposal, saying their own system works well. They also cite concerns, including that the city already spent $8.5 million on its network to comply with federal standards.
But county leaders say all residents would benefit from South Sound 911. Two new dispatch facilities would replace three outdated ones, and several agencies’ radio systems would be upgraded.
Kevin Phelps, deputy county executive, said Puyallup’s relocation might meet the city’s short-term needs, but a regional system would provide better dispatch backup and allow various police and fire agencies to talk to one another directly.
Puyallup wouldn’t be required to join South Sound 911 if voters approve it, but Puyallup taxpayers would have to help fund it.
“We really want (Puyallup) to be part of the system, because it serves the citizens better and it serves our first responders better,” Phelps said.
Puyallup officials said the relocation of their center is needed whether or not South Sound 911 is formed. The city has “contractual obligations to our customers and personnel to ensure safety in our center,” Tiedeman said.
Also, the city notes that the new countywide dispatch centers won’t open immediately. Phelps said it would likely take three years to open them.
Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/street
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