SCOTT CITY CONSIDERS 911 SYSTEM

SCOTT CITY -- Voters in Scott City will decide Tuesday whether to fund installation of an "Enhanced 911" system in the city.

And after spending months talking to civic, church and school organizations about the system, city Fire Chief Les Crump said he hopes citizens are convinced there is a need for it.

"It's mostly the safety factor I'm concerned about," Crump said. "It's so people will be able to dial a three-digit emergency number instead of a seven-digit one, and even if they can't talk, we'll know where they are."

The E-911 system automatically displays the caller's address and phone number to the dispatcher.

Crump said he could think of several incidents in the past year when people calling the town's seven-digit emergency number did not know their address, gave the wrong address or were unable to speak.

"It'll happen three to five times a year," he said. "As far as we're concerned in emergency services, that's too many."

The E-911 system is also on the ballot in Cape Girardeau County. The town of Commerce, which is served by the same telephone exchange as Scott City, has also put the issue up for a Tuesday vote.

Residents in Scott City would be assessed the same percentage surcharge for the E-911 service as those in Cape Girardeau County, 15 percent. According to telephone company officials, the basic monthly phone bill in Scott City is $7.55, compared to $9.10 in Cape Girardeau County. The basic telephone bill does not include fees for long-distance calls or special line features.

Officials have said residents in Scott City would pay about $1.14 per month during the first two years to cover set-up costs. After that, the fee would be re-evaluated and possibly lowered to cover maintenance of the system.

Businesses would pay a monthly fee of about $2.43 per month, officials said.

Crump said there is still some confusion about the cost of the system.

"One question I've been asked lately is concerning the surcharge and where it goes. Some people think the money stays with Southwestern Bell. But by state law, the money is sent back to the city to fund 911," he said.

Crump added that some people mistakenly assume that a basic 911 system would be without cost, and have asked him why the city does not install that system.

"That's just not possible. There's going to be a charge for any type of 911 system," he said.

If voters approve E-911, it will take 16 months to two years to install it, telephone company officials said.

A spokesman for the Scott City Chamber of Commerce, Don Roth, said the chamber supports the installation of E-911.

"We feel it would be a real plus for the safety of the children in the town," Roth said. "We want to endorse it and urge citizens to vote for it."

Roth said the cost of the system should not discourage its installation.

"It's affordable. It's less than 4 cents a day," he said.

The E-911 system is the only city issue on Tuesday's ballot. Residents in the city's four wards will vote at City Hall.

The town of Kelso had initially expressed interest in trying to gain voter approval for an E-911 system along with Scott City and Commerce, but officials there decided to wait and see if the issue passed in the two other communities before putting it on their ballot, Crump said.

If Kelso does decide at a later date to tap into Scott City's 911 system, residents there would have to pay a 15 percent surcharge for two years to pay for installation, the Scott City Council decided last month.