RiverCom 911 director outlines proposed sales tax measure ahead of February ballot

MANSON  — RiverCom 911 Executive Director Doug Jones spoke to members of the Manson American Legion on Jan. 5, outlining a proposed sales tax measure that will appear on the February ballot in Chelan and Douglas counties.

Jones is scheduled to give the same presentation to the Manson Community Council at 5 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Manson Grange. The meeting is open to the public.

RiverCom 911 is asking voters to approve a one-tenth of one percent sales tax increase, equal to one cent on a $10 purchase, to fund modernization and expansion of the region’s emergency communications systems and facilities. The measure will appear on the Feb. 10, 2026, special election ballot in both counties.

Jones has served as executive director of RiverCom 911 since June 2023. A Wenatchee resident since 1992, he spent 25 years with the Wenatchee Police Department, retiring as a captain in 2016. He later served as director of security and emergency management for Confluence Health before assuming his current role. Jones is also a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, completing 30 years of service, including a combat deployment to Iraq from 2008 to 2009.

Before RiverCom 911 was established, emergency communications in Chelan and Douglas counties were handled by multiple independent dispatch centers. That structure resulted in fragmented radio systems, inconsistent service levels, challenges coordinating multi-agency responses, and rising technology costs for individual agencies.

Local leaders pursued a regional solution to improve reliability, coordination and public safety. RiverCom 911 was officially formed in 2002 and became fully operational in July 2004, unifying 911 call-taking and dispatch services across both counties into a single, multi-jurisdictional public safety answering point.

Since then, RiverCom 911 has expanded its services and capacity. The center now operates 24 hours a day, dispatches for 22 public safety agencies, supports 23 radio sites across a 4,741-square-mile service area, and handles approximately 67,500 public safety incidents annually. It is the largest public safety answering point service area in Washington state.

The proposed sales tax would fund improvements designed to address increasing call volumes, evolving emergency needs and large-scale disasters. Supporters say a sales tax distributes the cost among residents, visitors, travelers and second homeowners who rely on the emergency system, rather than placing the burden solely on local property owners.

RiverCom 911 currently operates from the third floor of the Wenatchee Police Department, a space officials say has reached capacity. Plans for a new purpose-built facility include improved working conditions for dispatchers, space for additional staff during peak demand, backup power, enhanced security, seismic stability, and the ability to maintain operations during wildfires, storms or evacuations.

Additional information about the proposal is available at rivercom911.org. The public is also encouraged to attend the Manson Community Council meeting on Jan. 20.

Norm Manly contributed to this report.