Centralia City Councilors voted unanimously Tuesday to enter into a new interlocal agreement with the Lewis County 911 Communications Center, expressing hope that it would mark a step forward in what has been a strained partnership.
“All the problems have not been solved,” Centralia Police Chief Carl Nielsen told the council before the vote. “Do we still have challenges? Yes, we do. But we feel like this interlocal agreement gives us more voice in trying to fix those issues, and we think it’s been good work so far.”
The previous agreement, Nielsen said, gave users — the 26 agencies that partner with the county — “very little input,” but the new document provides for user groups and committees that allow them to weigh in on things such as budgeting and forecasting.