BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Plans are moving ahead to build a new emergency dispatch center in Bellingham.
Bellingham City Council voted unanimously on Monday night to approve an ordinance that would fund the new center’s design and construction.
In order to secure funding, the ordinance allows the city’s finance department to issue limited tax general obligation and refunding bonds. According to the ordinance text, nearly $9 million in similar bonds approved in 2016 are eligible for redemption.
The “refunding” aspect of the 2026 bonds means that a new total of $19 million will cover the costs of paying back the original amount from 2016.
The bonds only needed a City Council vote in order to pass and will have no fiscal impact on city residents.
My Bellingham Now previously reported that the state Department of Commerce has given the city a nearly $1 million grant to help with the project.
The new emergency dispatch center will replace the current center at the corner of Alabama and Iron Streets. Construction could be completed by the end of this year.
