Center’s Cost Masked

The actual operating cost of the Houston (Tex.) Emergency Center (HEC) is masked by farming out budget figures to all five of the participating city departments, according to a KTRH radio report. The center was expected to consolidate all the city’s emergency dispatching and cost $20 million a year to operate. But the single building continues to house separate operations, and costs up to $40 million a year. Read the full store here.