Another effort planned for 911 cell service

Proposition B, the ill-fated transportation funding plan, wasn't the only proposition to go down in flames in the primary election. Less well-known was Proposition A, a measure aimed at improving 911 service for wireless phones. Proposition A would have allowed the imposition of up to a 50-cent fee on monthly wireless phone bills to enhance 911 service.

Voters defeated Proposition A soundly in all 114 counties.

Many wireless phone users probably believe that when they call 911 for emergency assistance, the system works the same as for land-line phones. It doesn't: The recipient of a 911 call from a cellular or digital phone doesn't know where that call originates from.

So there's no question that enhanced wireless 911 would be a fine improvement.

That's why, after two defeats, it's good to see leaders in this field pointing toward a new approach. Doreen Draper of Cass County is president of the Missouri chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, which opposed Proposition A.

Draper says her organization is beginning the task of working with lawmakers to draft a new proposal that would ensure that more of the money goes to the counties where it was paid. Getting such a measure passed and sent to the voters will likely take at least a year or two.