MAYOR SAYS SCOTT CITY OFFICIALS OPPOSE CENTRALIZED DISPATCHING

SCOTT CITY -- Mayor Larry Forhan says the city wants to keep its dispatchers and doesn't want to be a part of a centralized dispatching system that has been proposed for Scott and New Madrid counties.

Members of a steering committee set up by the two counties said voters in both counties will be asked Nov. 8 to approve a surcharge to establish an Enhanced-911 telephone system. If approved, the E-911 system could involve setting up a dispatching center in Sikeston to serve both counties.

Forhan said Scott City officials aren't opposed to an E-911 system for the two counties as long as the city can continue to operate its own dispatching service.

He said radio communication would be difficult over a large area.

In addition, Scott City, Kelso and Commerce already have an E-911 system in place. The system went on line late last year.

"We have a substantial investment that our citizens are paying for on existing 911 equipment, plus radio equipment and such. It wouldn't be fair to the city of Scott City to lose all that investment," said Forhan.

Mike Westrich of the New Hamburg, Benton and Commerce Fire Protection District serves on the steering committee. He said telephone customers who are paying a surcharge for the recently established E-911 service won't be charged twice if a new system is put in place.

Westrich said any new E-911 system could be tied into the existing one.

"It is not a case of losing their system or losing the investment in their system," he said. "For us it is not an insurmountable problem."