## Meeting Overview The Whatcom Administrative Board convened on September 26, 2024, at 1:00 PM for a meeting that would prove significant for the future of emergency dispatch services in Whatcom County. Board members gathered to consider expanding the Whatcom Communications Center's services to two new agencies while addressing critical staffing challenges that have plagued the center for years. The meeting brought together representatives from across the county's public safety landscape, including Sheriff Donnell Tanksley, Fire Commissioner Dan McDermott, Fire Chief Billy Hewitt, Bellingham City Council member Holly Heftman, and other key officials. Joining them were potential new clients: representatives from Western Washington University Police and the Washington State Department of Corrections, both seeking to join Whatcom's dispatch services. What made this meeting particularly poignant was the opening public comment from Michelle Thomas, a 24-year veteran of Whatcom Communications and the guild secretary, who delivered a sobering assessment of the center's current capacity. Her testimony would frame the entire discussion around a fundamental tension: how to expand services while addressing chronic understaffing that has left the center operating with the same minimum staffing levels as in the year 2000, despite serving a population that has grown by 65,500 people. ## A Guild's Plea for Caution Michelle Thomas stepped to the podium with the weight of nearly a quarter-century of dispatch experience behind her. As both a Public Education Coordinator for Whatcom County 911 and the guild secretary, her words carried the authority of someone who has seen the system evolve—and strain—over decades. "During this meeting you're going to be asked to consider bringing 2 more agencies to Whatcom," Thomas began, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of concern. "As a guild, we want you to know that we are not opposed to adding these agencies to our roster, we have concerns that we feel need to be voiced and taken into consideration." Her testimony painted a stark picture of an operation stretched beyond its original design. The numbers she presented were striking: in 2000, swing shift minimum staffing was 5 people—2 radio dispatchers, one at-large position, and 2 call receivers. Today, serving a population over 65,500 people larger, the staffing level remains at 5 people, but the configuration has shifted to 3 radio dispatchers, one at-large positi…