PROSSER, Wash. -- The City of Prosser is expecting a big turn out at Tuesday's city council meeting where they'll determine the fate of the city's dispatch center.
Council members will decide whether to keep dispatch services in Prosser at the police station or contract them to SECOMM --the Southeast Communications Center in Richland.
At stake are the jobs of five employees, and the space where administrative tasks take place.
An analysis of the move shows making the switch would save the city more than $220,000 as well give first responders access to more information because SECOMM has all the latest technology.
"If somebody has blocked a number of you're calling from a cell phone, we can't necessarily trace back those calls. And we certainly can't identify where, if you're on a cell phone, where you're located. At SECOMM, they have those sort of capabilities," says Cathleen Koch the Interim City Administrator who was asked to present council members with the facts of the move.
Koch says Prosser is about $200,000 short in their 2013 budget and the move would make up the gap.
Police Chief Pat McCullough says besides the loss of jobs, people are worried about change. "What most people are fearful of, as most people are is the unknown. there's a lot of unknowns associated with SECOMM as opposed to Prosser dispatch. Prosser dispatch is a known entity," says McCullough.
The meeting starts at 6:00pm at Prosser City Hall, 601 7th Street.
