Dispatch center sales tax defeated

Nevada resident Jim Rayburn signs in to vote Tuesday afternoon at the Osage Prairie YMCA as election judge Jessica Nash watchers. Nash said the turnout was steady all day. Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail

Nevada Daily Mail

Vernon County voters soundly defeated the Western Missouri 911 sales tax proposal Tuesday 855 votes to 624, leaving the future of the joint 911 Dispatch Center in doubt.

Vernon County Clerk Mike Buehler said these results will not be official until Friday.

"At the end of Fiscal Year 2015, 911 won't have enough money to operate at the current level," Western Missouri 911 Dispatch Center board chairman and Nevada City Manager JD Kehrman said Tuesday night.

"We're going to have to wind it up," he said somberly, adding the board will need to meet and come up with a plan.

He said that even if they put in more money to keep it running another year the equipment replacement cost is huge. No one has $500,000 for phones.

He said the proposals to establish a smaller sales tax and for the partners to continue to make contributions does not eliminate the political problems inherent in the joint operating agreement.

This will leave the city and the county in the position of returning to operating separate dispatch centers.

"This is less than ideal," he said.