Benton County made its case to voters to create a taxing district specifically to cover 911 emergency dispatch services. And voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 20-303 last night, with 61 percent saying “yes”.
The district will include most of Benton County, including Corvallis. With 911 calls more than doubling in the area for the past thirty years, the number of staff able to handle those calls had increased only slightly.
With the measure’s approval, county residents will see a new rate reflected in their property tax bill of $. 65 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. It’s expected to generate $ 5.6 million annually.
The money will be used to hire 11 more dispatchers and upgrade equipment at the Corvallis Regional Communications Center.
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