WOW - The Spokane County Project you paid for twice (9/11 Com System) By RTC - The Liberty Command Center (The Rick Rydell Show, KXLY 920AM, Mon thru Fri, 2 PM to 4 PM). This was just posted by the Spokane Economic and Demographic Data Blog. RTC has discussed this before in comment in a previous S-R article This comment thread was blocked in the S-Rs Christmas article comment freeze. See an abbreviated version below. inlandnw.wordpress/2014/03/14/the-spokane-county-project-you-paid-for-twice/ The Spokane County Project you paid for twice MARCH 14, 2014 The County is turning on its new digital public safety radio communications systems but failed to mention that voters paid for this system – TWICE. In 2003, Spokane public safety agencies sold a sales tax increase on the basis of needing to upgrade emergency communication systems. In the wake of 9/11, this upgrade was said to be desperately needed to replace the County’s ancient, vacuum tube and tin can communications system or we were all going to die. The public safety agencies then proceeded to spend all the tax money on everything but public safety communications upgrades. See 2005 Spokesman-Review article “Funds not allotted for Network” and 2009 ballot measure argument against, page 41. In 2009, Spokane public safety agencies again brought a sales tax “extension” to pay for an upgrade of the emergency communication system for which the taxpayers had already paid. Twelve years later they are starting to turn the new system on. We could have fought and won three World War IIs in the time it took these clowns to implement a supposedly urgently needed upgrade to a radio system that was paid for twice. The original 2003 ballot was misrepresented by public safety agencies – in any other context, this would be fraud. But the ballot initiative had a short clause allowing them to spend the money any way they wished, in spite of the sales pitch. Just like the Spokane Public Facilities District selling voters on never ending expansions with false claims of more jobs, more attendance and more visitors. Its just lies all the way down. When you hear a sales pitch in Spokane, you can be pretty certain that leaders are telling you outright lies. ***** From my comment in the S-R article thread: Spokane city-county dispatch systems outdated, sheriff says web.archive.org/web/20131223214933/spokesman/stories/2013/dec/22/spokane-city-county-dispatch-systems-outdated/ [My abbreviated comment] And lastly the Sheriff Knezovichs lament in yesterdays paper of the antiquated regional police/fire communications systems. Mr. Prager would have done well to read the minutes of the Spokane County Emergency Services Policy Board chaired by Sheriff Knezovich before running with the Sheriffs comments. IMO the Sheriff is trying to railroad the regional emergency response services with his own vision that shuts out fire services and endangers the continued sustainability of the 911 call center and Crime Check. My sources suggests that there have been some creep and slippage of these allocated tax funds beyond what was approved by the voters. Further as Chief Williams points out there are sustainability issues re the 911 call center and crime check that will be impacted by the Sheriffs position. This fund is worthy of some daylight and perhaps a visit by the State Auditors Office to ensure that these funds are well managed and spent only on what was intended by the voters. . Please excuse me if Im skeptical. I would link to my comment in this article thread with more specific thoughts but they are not visible now and or available to link to in subsequent discussions/debates on this topic. I agree the current communications systems are antiquated. On the other hand as a taxpayer I want the most bang for my buck and I dont want specifically allocated tax funds misappropriated and or unwisely spent. Heres my initial thoughts from a previous email. These are not as complete as what I posted in the article comment thread: Is there a battle brewing between regional police and fire over spending the 1/10 of 1% sales tax revenue for emergency communications? See the September 2013 minutes of the Spokane County Emergency Services Policy Board chaired by Sheriff Knezovich: spokanecounty.org/data/county911/Approved%2009.26.13.pdf Sounds like fire is getting the short stick and the communication systems wont be compatible. Police want to go with a Motorola system as sole source without putting it out to a RFP. SFD Chief Bobby Williams was concerned there would be little money left for sustainability of this system.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 19:28:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015