PERRY COUNTY WILL CONSIDER E-911

Also on April 4, Perry County voters will vote on whether to pay between 80 cents and $1 more each month to acquire an enhanced 911 emergency response system. Currently Perry County residents pay 4 percent for a 911 system that records the telephone number of the caller. The system voters are asked to approve on April 4 would give the phone number, the address from the home or business where the call originated and the name of the person or business at that address.

The Enhanced-911 system would be paid for through a 15 percent surcharge on the basic telephone bill. That means that residents with a 547 exchange who pay 36 cents for the basic 911 service would pay $1.37 a month. People in the county with other exchanges would have their rate increased from 30 cents a month to $1.13 a month. For Perryville businesses, their charges would increase from $1.20 a month to $4.50.

Cape Girardeau County voters overwhelmingly approved the enhanced system in 1991. Perry County voters should do likewise. For a few pennies a month, they can enjoy state-of-the-art technology that could save lives when seconds count.