LEWISTON – City councilors say they want a look inside the emergency dispatch center the city operates with Auburn.

“We want a look at the Cadillac, so we can see why it costs so much to run,” Councilor Robert Reed said Tuesday.

Councilors are scheduled to tour the 911 facility at 550 Minot Ave. in Auburn at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. They will return to City Hall in Lewiston after the tour for a discussion of the facility’s budget.

Lewiston-Auburn 911, the Twin Cities’ emergency dispatch center, is asking for $950,589 from each city. Councilors in Auburn approved a slightly smaller budget of $937,589 Monday.

Lewiston City Administrator Jim Bennett is recommending councilors in this city match that amount.

“They’ve been wanting to see what goes on inside, so they can have a better understanding of how it all works,” Bennett said.

Councilor Tom Peters said he had toured the facility and was impressed.

“There certainly is more to it than meets the eye,” he said. “I didn’t understand all of it until I was able to see it. And I want to see how well it can operate with the money we’re proposing.”

Councilors Reed and Denis Theriault also said they wanted to see it.

“I just need to be sure we’re paying for the right thing at the right time,” Reed said. “It amounts to about a $1 million per year – $2 million for the two cities. And that’s a lot, so it’s certainly worth reviewing.”

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