SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown says the Spokane Police Department will not join the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications (SREC) unless changes are made to its current model, saying that its operations currently would not adequately serve the city police.
Mayor Brown outlined her reasons in a letter to the SREC board sent on the morning of Saturday, August 24 which was the deadline put in place by SREC to decide on a partnership.
According to a press release from the city, the city utilized a third-party consultant, ADCOMM Engineering, who recommended that the Spokane Police Department should not join SREC due to the current board structure and financial operations.
SREC is an emergency services organization created in 2018 that works to regionalize 911 dispatch to agencies across Spokane County. SREC provides dispatch services for the Spokane Fire Department but the Spokane Police Department dispatch services are handled by city employees.
The city says that ADCOMM conducted a review of SREC's financial and operational records and conducted interviews with Spokane public safety leaders and SREC leadership.
ADCOMM's report claims that the board structure of SREC would not reflect the proportional use and needs of the City of Spokane. They found that because a majority of the percentage of calls come from within the city's jurisdiction, the city should hold more than the current 2 out of 10 board seats.
ADCOMM also criticized the financial operations of the SREC board. They say the SREC currently operates from three primary revenue streams:
- the 1/10th of 1% communications sales tax
- a 911 excise tax
- additional user fees in each participating jurisdiction
The city says that while the City of Spokane accounts for just over 42% of the County population, data from the Department of Revenue shows that taxes generated within the City of Spokane make up roughly 65% of SREC’s annual revenue.
For this reason, ADCOMM says that the taxes generated are enough to cover SREC operations in the city jurisdiction and even allow for surplus revenue.
The ADCOMM report indicates that SREC has accumulated approximately $33 million in reserves between 2020 and 2023 from user fees alone.
"Regionalization of 9-1-1 services makes sense academically and can achieve cost and operational efficiencies over time. However, the current structure of SREC is not one we currently recommend the City of Spokane join. There are some integral changes required of SREC and the City to resolve the issues mentioned in this report prior to full participation by the City of Spokane,” the report says.
The report also outlines several pros and cons of the fire department continuing with the SREC and the police department joining. These include things like call disruption, coordination with services, staff training and start-up costs.
ADCOMM recommends that SREC improve its financial transparency and oversight by eliminating user fees and developing a formal process for financial oversight and capital planning, while simultaneously creating a stronger financial incentive for regional jurisdictions to join.
“If the SREC board is willing to implement these recommendations from expert, neutral third-party consultants, I am confident that we will enhance public safety service delivery across the region and properly steward precious taxpayer resources,” Mayor Lisa Brown said. “I am optimistic about the prospect of joining SREC and look forward to the Board’s response.”
SREC released a statement in response to Mayor Brown's decision on Saturday afternoon saying that board members will discuss the mayor's recommendations at their meeting on Thursday, August 29.
They also highlight that 21 of Spokane County's 22 law enforcement and fire agencies are already partnered with SREC.
Further discussion will determine whether the City of Spokane will continue a partnership with SREC or move forward with city-run dispatch services for fire and police.