Walker proposes centralized 911 dispatch system

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Bill Walker wants to spend $9.5 million for a centralized statewide 911 dispatch system.

To help pay for it, Walker is proposing redirecting much of the $10 million he requested for surveying on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to better understand the oil resources there.

Walker’s budget director, Pat Pitney, said money for seismic work isn’t needed now.

Pitney says $8.3 million of the $10 million proposed for seismic work would be redirected to the dispatch system, with $1.5 million of the rest going to two state agencies working on the prop...