The city of West Carrollton is considering changes to its dispatching service. Officials are concerned the city is getting priced out of offering an in-house emergency call center.
If the city wants to run its own operation next year, officials are expecting it’ll cost around $800,000. City Manager Brad Townsend says that isn’t feasible without residents paying a little extra. Voters could be asked to approve a levy in May at the earliest.
But Townsend says two proposals moving through the statehouse have increased the financial pressure for the city. One deals with municipal taxes while the other essentially bans red light cameras.
“The recent passage of House Bill 5, which we estimate will cost us $400,000 a year,” Townsend said. "Then we’re also one of the communities that have red light cameras in Ohio, and the decision the House made to make that program potentially unfeasible will cost us another $125,000.”
Townsend says the city could cut costs almost in half by contracting with the Montgomery County regional dispatch center. He says there’s also a potential partnership with Centerville that has a price tag of about $522,000.
Though Townsend says he’s heard from residents who want to keep the dispatch center local.