Council Won't Raise 911 Fees
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Tim [email protected]
The Kosciusko County Council voted unanimously not to raise the $1 fee to $2.57 Thursday. The council discussed the fee raise at their June 14 meeting as a way to ensure funding for the 911 service. Funding for the 911 service is decreasing as more people cancel their landline telephones in favor of cellular phones.
The county needs about $1.2 million each year to fund 911. This year, the county collected about $600,000 in landline fees and less than $200,000 in fees from cell phones. County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell told the council that the county is losing 911 fees from landline phones at a rate of 8 percent each year.
The council approved a plan Thursday to make up for the shortfall by reorganizing the way in which the 911 service is funded. Mitchell told the council money was found in the county's general fund to pay $200,000 toward Social Security, retirement and insurance for 911 employees and $135,000 was found to pay for telephone and office supplies in addition to $100,000 from the cumulative capital development fund.
Mitchell said the money from the general fund and CCD fund reduces the burden on the 911 fund to $740,000 to cover employee salaries, but, she told the council, the reorganization is only a temporary fix.
"This might help you buy yourselves another couple of years to see if the state will come up with a solution," Mitchell said.
Council President Harold Jones said, though the solution is temporary, he favors it to raising the fee.
"It's a time of uncertainty with taxes and we certainly don't want to raise any if we don't have to," Jones said. "For the next year or two, hopefully this will provide funds without any additional burden to taxpayers."
Councilman Bob Sanders warned that, despite the temporary funding solution, the county cannot afford to delay their search for a more permanent source of funding.
"If we're going to do this," Sanders said, "we're buying ourselves two years. I think it's time we sit down and figure out which way we want to go. We need to sit down with our state legislators and talk, so, in two years, we're not in the same situation."
The county receives a 34-cent fee for cell phones, but only cell phones which originate in this county. Sanders said one factor in the decreasing funding is seasonal visitors who, in years past, paid landline fees for service during stays at lakehouses and cabins, but now simply bring their cell phones from other counties and other states instead of using a local landline. He said the county must find a way to ensure that visitors also contribute to 911 funding.[[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
The Kosciusko County Council voted unanimously not to raise the $1 fee to $2.57 Thursday. The council discussed the fee raise at their June 14 meeting as a way to ensure funding for the 911 service. Funding for the 911 service is decreasing as more people cancel their landline telephones in favor of cellular phones.
The county needs about $1.2 million each year to fund 911. This year, the county collected about $600,000 in landline fees and less than $200,000 in fees from cell phones. County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell told the council that the county is losing 911 fees from landline phones at a rate of 8 percent each year.
The council approved a plan Thursday to make up for the shortfall by reorganizing the way in which the 911 service is funded. Mitchell told the council money was found in the county's general fund to pay $200,000 toward Social Security, retirement and insurance for 911 employees and $135,000 was found to pay for telephone and office supplies in addition to $100,000 from the cumulative capital development fund.
Mitchell said the money from the general fund and CCD fund reduces the burden on the 911 fund to $740,000 to cover employee salaries, but, she told the council, the reorganization is only a temporary fix.
"This might help you buy yourselves another couple of years to see if the state will come up with a solution," Mitchell said.
Council President Harold Jones said, though the solution is temporary, he favors it to raising the fee.
"It's a time of uncertainty with taxes and we certainly don't want to raise any if we don't have to," Jones said. "For the next year or two, hopefully this will provide funds without any additional burden to taxpayers."
Councilman Bob Sanders warned that, despite the temporary funding solution, the county cannot afford to delay their search for a more permanent source of funding.
"If we're going to do this," Sanders said, "we're buying ourselves two years. I think it's time we sit down and figure out which way we want to go. We need to sit down with our state legislators and talk, so, in two years, we're not in the same situation."
The county receives a 34-cent fee for cell phones, but only cell phones which originate in this county. Sanders said one factor in the decreasing funding is seasonal visitors who, in years past, paid landline fees for service during stays at lakehouses and cabins, but now simply bring their cell phones from other counties and other states instead of using a local landline. He said the county must find a way to ensure that visitors also contribute to 911 funding.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092