Emergency funding isn’t in a crisis mode yet, but Centre County Emergency Communications and 911 Director Dale Neff says it soon will be if there isn’t reform in legislation as soon as this year.
Current legislation, which dates back to the 1990s, is based on people using landline phones to report emergencies.
Neff and Commissioner Michael Pipe both stress that since more people are using cell phones to make emergency calls, and that since the current legislation expires in June, now is the time to discuss reform.
“Essentially the language that started the funding stream for 911 is outdated and needs to be reformed,” Pipe says.
“The surcharge for landline phones was fair and the money came directly to the counties,” Neff says. “When wireless devices entered the picture, the funding didn’t come directly to the counties. It went into a pool and the state treasury.”
To get these funds, counties have to apply for them each year, proving their need.
“The amount of money became finite and getting the money became competitive,” Neff says.
Statewide, county board of commissioners have been asked to adopt the resolution in support of reforming 911 funding and encourage legislators in Harrisburg to focus on fixing the issues. Centre County’s board adopted the resolution unanimously at its Feb. 26 meeting.
Pipe says the issue will be brought to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, which is expected to discuss legislation reform before the end of the current fiscal year. This year, CCAP identified 911 funding as a priority for reform.
About a third of the funds Centre County receives for 911 funding comes from property taxes. With new legislation, that amount would be reduced significantly and more funding would come from monthly surcharges that phone companies get from customers.
In 2015, taxpayers will dish out more than $1 million to help fund the county’s emergency communications, Neff says, about a half a million more than they contributed in 2002.
“You can see where each year, under the current funding model, the amount of public money needed to fund the 911 center in Centre County is going to keep rising,” he says.
Commissioner Steve Dershem is unsure that money will even get back to Centre County because many emergency calls are made with long distance numbers. A closer look into the funding formula should clear this up, he says.
Funding for emergency communications in the county is vital, Commissioner Chris Exarchos says, especially when the number of visitors increases drastically during Penn State home football weekends.
He also noted that county 911 and emergency departments were never meant to be funded by local property tax but rather by telephone fees.
“We need to go back to the original concept where 911 is funded by user fees as was originally intended,” Exarchos says.
The new legislation would significantly reduce the amount of taxpayer money used for 911 funding by increasing surcharges for landline and wireless phones, Neff saus. It would also change the formula for how funds are dispersed to counties.
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