ENHANCED 911 SERVICES PASSES IN SCOTT CITY

SCOTT CITY -- Scott City voters approved an Enhanced 911 emergency telephone system by a margin of more than two to one in Tuesday's election.

"I'm elated," said Scott City Fire Chief Les Crump. "In think people evaluated the service and the cost and realized it was in their best interest to implement the 911 system."

In all, 66 percent of voters endorsed 911. Turnout for the election was estimated to be about 33 percent.

"I'm real happy with those numbers," Crump said.

Voters in Commerce also decided to fund a 911 system in their town, with 26 people voting yes and five voting no, said Scott County Clerk Bob Kielhofner.

Crump said the system will "virtually eliminate unfounded calls or false alarms," and would speed response time of emergency vehicles.

Crump and other members of the city's 911 committee have been speaking to civic, school and church groups for months about the advantages of 911.

Voter approval of 911 means the city's current seven-digit emergency number will be in use for only about two more years. Crump said it will take about that long for the 911 system to be set up.

Residents will begin paying within 60 days a surcharge of 15 percent of their basic monthly phone bill to pay for setup costs, Crump said. After two years, that rate will be re-evaluated and possibly lowered, officials said.

After two years, residents will be paying for maintenance of the system.

At the present rate, the 15 percent surcharge equals about $1.14 per month. The telephone company collects the surcharge for the city.

Scott City Mayor Shirley Young said she was pleased that voters approved the measure.

"I think it's fantastic," she said. "It's something we first looked into in 1984. People know how important 911 is; the children of our town already think we have it."

Young said the fact that 911 was also on the ballot in Cape Girardeau County helped heighten voter awareness of the benefits of the system.

Crump said the 911 emergency system is "becoming the common number for emergencies" in hundreds of towns and counties across the United States.

"I really see the day that calling a seven-digit number for an emergency will be a thing of the past," he said.

Young called the vote a "progressive step" for the city. "I think it means that when people here see a need for something, they back it 100 percent," she said.

In all 678 Scott City residents voted for 911 and 335 voted against it. The city has 3,033 registered voters.

While residents will pay about $1.14 monthly for the system, businesses will pay about $2.43 per month based on their basic telephone bills.

Calls will come in to the dispatcher at City Hall. Crump said no additional dispatcher will have to be hired because of 911, but the dispatchers will receive additional training.

Officials in the town of Kelso had originally expressed interest in asking for voter approval for their own 911 system. A vote in that town was postponed until spring, city officials said.

Scott City voters turned back Proposition B by a margin of more than four to one. The tax package failed, with 846 residents voting against it and 201 voting in favor of it.