House committee report recommends funding of 911 systems

A recent report by a committee formed this summer to explore 911 issues in the state recommends funding to help counties maintain their 911 systems, whether it be through legislative action or through the ballot box.

The report comes after years of red flags thrown up by county governments and the Missouri Association of Counties about the eroding tax base to fund enhanced 911 facilities, commonly referred to as E911. E911 technology allows 911 call centers to track the location of incoming calls.

Call centers are funded largely through taxes on land-line phones collected by counties. But as more users switch from land lines to cellular, the tax revenue is getting smaller each year. Currently counties have no authorization to tax cellular phones.

Locally Scott County leadership has been vocal about the need to secure more funding through some sort of tax or user fee on cell phones. Those leaders say they're not in favor of extra taxes, but something must be done to fix the problem.

This year Scott County expects to transfer about $90,000 out of its general revenue, and that amount is expected to rise.

Scott County Commissioner Ron McCormick is the commission's policy man on the issue. This summer, McCormick, a Republican, made sure to communicate the importance of getting the counties more 911 funding to Gov. Matt Blunt when Blunt visited Sikeston.

"He asked me, what was one of the bigger issues I was working with, and I said, there is no bigger issue in our county than the 911," McCormick said.

The governor, McCormick said, looked surprised. But he did call for the formation of the interim Missouri House committee on 911, chaired by Rep. Mark Bruns, R-Jefferson City, that finalized its report Nov. 29. The report was based on testimony from local officials and others gathered during meetings held throughout the state, including an Oct. 19 meeting at Advance, Mo.

That report has now been sent to House Speaker Rod Jetton's office. Jetton, R-Marble Hill, didn't return a call to his cell phone seeking comment for this story.

Bollinger County doesn't have E911 capability and is unlikely to get it without extra funding.

The committee gave several options for funding county 911 centers:

• By ballot measure (two ballot measures have already failed)
• Establish a fee on cell service companies through legislation
• Give the Public Service Commission the ability to establish a recovery fee
• Appropriate funds from general revenue.

McCormick said he's heard that, despite the recommendations, the chances for action on funding county 911 during the next legislative session are slim.

The issue is at the top of the Missouri Association of Counties list of legislative priorities, said the association's director of government affairs, Ryan Rowden.

Rowden said "it's going to take a lot of courage from the legislature to put together a public safety piece like this" with the power of the telecommunications lobbies, Rowden said.

Rowden said Missouri is the only state in the nation unable to collect a fee from cell phone companies for 911 funding.

Missouri cities are already able to collect taxes from cellular companies following recent settlements that ended a years-long legal battle.

Cellular providers have maintained that phone taxes shouldn't apply to them because cellular phones are actually radio devices, not telephones.

msanders@semissourian.com

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