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Since 1997, Linn County’s emergency 911 (E911) system has operated out of the Brookfield Police Station and has been funded by a combination of county and telephone surtax revenues. In 2011, the County provided $64,000 to fund E911, and the balance of that funding (about $58,000) came from the telephone landline users surcharge. Dave Hane, who was, until recently, the undisputed E911 Director for Linn County, advises that last year he budgeted $122,000 for E911 and had a $3,000 surplus. Unfortunately, $122,000 will buy 1980’s equipment, not the more sophisticated E911 system needed for the 21st Century with its ever-evolving advancements in communication technology.
Hane and the other members of the E911 User’s Committee agree that the E911 technology currently in use in Linn County is almost obsolete and needs to be replaced by a ‘Phase II’ system that can accommodate some of the newer forms of communication (i.e., texting, instant messaging) in addition to traditional voice communication. Beyond that point of agreement, their visions for the future of E911 in Linn County diverge considerably, especially when it comes to the amount of funding needed to establish a state-of-the-art E911 system that will be flexible enough to accommodate advancements in communications technology that are certain to emerge in the years to come. As Linn County Ambulance District Operations Manager Sean Hill explained, “You need to plan for change as the technology changes...This is about the long-term future of 911 in Linn County.”
The E911 model and funding mechanism supported by E911 Director heir apparent Gary Redmon, the Linn County Commission, and the vast majority of the E911 User’s Committee members has slowly taken shape in recent months. Described as a ‘stand-alone Viper’ system, that model would be funded through a half-cent sales tax that will need to be approved by Linn County voters when they go to the polls in April. During an E911 User’s Committee meeting held at the Linn County Ambulance District headquarters Wednesday evening, Redmon outlined estimated annual costs quoted by current provider AT&T. The annual estimated cost of $565,000 includes $340,000 to cover the pay and benefits of seven communications officers, who would be certified to handle medical emergencies; $50,000 for the E911 Director’s pay and benefits; $50,000 for the new equipment; $40,000 for line charges; and $50,000 for a reserve or emergency fund to cover unanticipated costs. As Linn County Presiding Commissioner Dick King put it Wednesday evening, a half-cent sales tax is needed because “we don’t want to have to go back to the voters a second time if we find out we don’t have enough money.”
The model favored by the majority of the E911 User’s Committee rank and file will be Phase II-compliant (i.e., it will automatically provide the longitude and latitude of a wireless caller, making pinpointing the location of a cell phone caller more exact). Where it will be located is less certain. During Wednesday evening’s E911 User’s Committee meeting, King stated, “It will be up to the E911 Board to determine the location of the new 911 center.” That independent board will also design a budget and determine exactly how tax dollars will be spent. However, the proposed E911 Board doesn’t yet exist and won’t exist until after voters have approved the half-cent sales tax in April. King anticipates that it will take the new board about a year to get the proposed ‘stand-alone’ system in place. During that year, revenue from the proposed half-cent sales tax will, of course, be accumulating. In the meantime, the revenue generated from landline phone users through the present phone tariff—$125,660.26 last year—will “go away.” King explains that if the proposed half-cent sales tax revenue generates more that what is needed to fund the new system, the E911 Board can, at its own discretion, “roll some of the funding back.” However, King qualifies, the E911 Board won’t have the authority to increase the sales tax beyond what was originally approved by the local electorate; that would require another vote of the people.
As the lone dissenting voice on the E911 User’s Committee, Dave Hane believes that a half-cent sales tax is more than what is needed to upgrade the existing E911 equipment at the Brookfield Police Station. He sees no need to move the communications center out of its current location. Currently, a dispatcher at the Brookfield Police Station monitors the holding cells when there is a prisoner in custody. There are those (i.e., Luke Lewis) who argue that when a dispatcher divides his attention between the two functions, he can’t perform either as proficiently as he should. Hane believes that if the dispatcher follows protocol (i.e., calls for assistance when it’s needed), there won’t be an issue.
Since 1997, Linn County’s emergency 911 (E911) system has operated out of the Brookfield Police Station and has been funded by a combination of county and telephone surtax revenues. In 2011, the County provided $64,000 to fund E911, and the balance of that funding (about $58,000) came from the telephone landline users surcharge. Dave Hane, who was, until recently, the undisputed E911 Director for Linn County, advises that last year he budgeted $122,000 for E911 and had a $3,000 surplus. Unfortunately, $122,000 will buy 1980’s equipment, not the more sophisticated E911 system needed for the 21st Century with its ever-evolving advancements in communication technology.
Hane and the other members of the E911 User’s Committee agree that the E911 technology currently in use in Linn County is almost obsolete and needs to be replaced by a ‘Phase II’ system that can accommodate some of the newer forms of communication (i.e., texting, instant messaging) in addition to traditional voice communication. Beyond that point of agreement, their visions for the future of E911 in Linn County diverge considerably, especially when it comes to the amount of funding needed to establish a state-of-the-art E911 system that will be flexible enough to accommodate advancements in communications technology that are certain to emerge in the years to come. As Linn County Ambulance District Operations Manager Sean Hill explained, “You need to plan for change as the technology changes...This is about the long-term future of 911 in Linn County.”
The E911 model and funding mechanism supported by E911 Director heir apparent Gary Redmon, the Linn County Commission, and the vast majority of the E911 User’s Committee members has slowly taken shape in recent months. Described as a ‘stand-alone Viper’ system, that model would be funded through a half-cent sales tax that will need to be approved by Linn County voters when they go to the polls in April. During an E911 User’s Committee meeting held at the Linn County Ambulance District headquarters Wednesday evening, Redmon outlined estimated annual costs quoted by current provider AT&T. The annual estimated cost of $565,000 includes $340,000 to cover the pay and benefits of seven communications officers, who would be certified to handle medical emergencies; $50,000 for the E911 Director’s pay and benefits; $50,000 for the new equipment; $40,000 for line charges; and $50,000 for a reserve or emergency fund to cover unanticipated costs. As Linn County Presiding Commissioner Dick King put it Wednesday evening, a half-cent sales tax is needed because “we don’t want to have to go back to the voters a second time if we find out we don’t have enough money.”
The model favored by the majority of the E911 User’s Committee rank and file will be Phase II-compliant (i.e., it will automatically provide the longitude and latitude of a wireless caller, making pinpointing the location of a cell phone caller more exact). Where it will be located is less certain. During Wednesday evening’s E911 User’s Committee meeting, King stated, “It will be up to the E911 Board to determine the location of the new 911 center.” That independent board will also design a budget and determine exactly how tax dollars will be spent. However, the proposed E911 Board doesn’t yet exist and won’t exist until after voters have approved the half-cent sales tax in April. King anticipates that it will take the new board about a year to get the proposed ‘stand-alone’ system in place. During that year, revenue from the proposed half-cent sales tax will, of course, be accumulating. In the meantime, the revenue generated from landline phone users through the present phone tariff—$125,660.26 last year—will “go away.” King explains that if the proposed half-cent sales tax revenue generates more that what is needed to fund the new system, the E911 Board can, at its own discretion, “roll some of the funding back.” However, King qualifies, the E911 Board won’t have the authority to increase the sales tax beyond what was originally approved by the local electorate; that would require another vote of the people.
As the lone dissenting voice on the E911 User’s Committee, Dave Hane believes that a half-cent sales tax is more than what is needed to upgrade the existing E911 equipment at the Brookfield Police Station. He sees no need to move the communications center out of its current location. Currently, a dispatcher at the Brookfield Police Station monitors the holding cells when there is a prisoner in custody. There are those (i.e., Luke Lewis) who argue that when a dispatcher divides his attention between the two functions, he can’t perform either as proficiently as he should. Hane believes that if the dispatcher follows protocol (i.e., calls for assistance when it’s needed), there won’t be an issue.
