By Dianne Jacob | Dianne’s Corner

Taxpayer alert: San Diego County has unveiled a new tool aimed at boosting transparency and public feedback on how it spends money.

With the recent release of the county’s latest proposed budget, you can now weigh in directly on the $6.26 billion spending plan and check out what others are saying by visiting budget.sandiegocounty.gov.

See where your valuable taxpayer dollars are going — then let us know what you think by posting a video or text response. I look forward to your feedback.

Progress on the fire front: The Board of Supervisors recently backed my proposal to explore the functional consolidation of fire dispatch centers in the region.

I believe that placing the region’s five dispatch centers under one roof would improve response times and save lives. Those centers are operated by San Diego Fire, North County Dispatch, Heartland Communications, Escondido and Cal Fire/County Fire Authority.

Over the past 15 years, the county has spent more than $460 million to improve fire protection and emergency medical services in our backcountry.

Helping our seniors: It was great to join folks in Ramona recently to break ground on the new Schmale Family Senior Residence.

This important project will become a home for some of our neediest residents — low-income seniors who need a quality, affordable place. It will have 62 units. Rents will be subsidized by federal Section 8 vouchers provided through the County Housing Authority. Each unit will be available to those 55 and older who financially qualify.

The county approved the project about a year ago. It is part of our broader efforts to boost the stock of affordable housing across the county, especially for our seniors and veterans.

— Dianne Jacob is San Diego County Supervisor for District 2. For more District 2 news, go to diannejacob.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter. For assistance with a county issue, call 619-531-5522 or email [email protected].