The Hoopeston City Council (Tuesday) voted to bring back its emergency dispatch center. And in the process, please a lot of towns=folks.

Now, finding a way to finance the operation is next. And it appears there may be a local one-percent sales tax referendum question on the future ballot to help pay to continue the dispatch service.

A proposal for the referendum was made to pay for the dispatch center, equipment and personnel. The motion though, was defeated.

The Council then approved an inter-governmental agreement to forward all local calls from the Vermilion County Dispatch Center to a designated-Hoopeston dispatch center.
The agreement has been in place since January. But few local people knew about it.

The Council now hopes to put its Hoopeston dispatch into operation quickly.

The agreement is under the umbrella of the Vermilion County Emergency Telephone System Board.

Mayor Bill Crusinberry is quick to point out, a one-percent sales tax for support would be shared by everyone making purchases in Hoopeston, not just a tax on local Hoopeston residents. It’s just like the public safety taxes already in place in several surrounding counties, where the tax on certain items supports public safety.

94.1 WGFA