Gogebic County 911 Coordinator Explains Ballot Proposal

BESSEMER, MI - Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - Currently all telephone users in the State of Michigan – whether they be cell phones, land lines, or VOIP (voice-over-Internet protocol - telephone services such as Vonage that use the Internet) – pay both State and County 911 surcharges each and every month. The surcharges are on your bill. Did you even realize you are paying them? In Gogebic County the current surcharge is 30¢ per line per month and the State surcharge is 19¢. Prior to July of 2008, the County surcharge was 52¢.

Each and every year – like just about everything else these days – the costs to provide 911 services have increased. Gogebic County currently uses Negaunee Regional Dispatch to dispatch their emergency 911 calls. Because the costs of services have increased, the County requested a surcharge increase. They asked the State to increase their surcharge from 52¢ to 60¢. The Gogebic County Enhanced 911 Committee believed the eight cent monthly increase would offset the increase in costs for providing the service.

Instead of allowing the increase in surcharge, the Michigan Public Service Commission decreased Gogebic County’s surcharge from 52¢ to 30¢. That’s right, on one hand the State (through Negaunee Regional Dispatch) tells the County that the costs have increased – and on the other hand, instead of allowing the County to increase their only source of revenue, the surcharge, they actually cut the monthly charge by 22¢ per user. The simple fact is, Gogebic County cannot continue to provide 911 services, of any kind, with a revenue of only 30¢. As it currently stands, the County’s 911 fund will be out of money by the end of this year.

“No matter what we do – if we stay with Negaunee Dispatch; if we do our own; if we go with Iron County, Michigan – we have to raise the surcharge.” Gogebic County Enhance 911 Coordinator Jim Loeper told the Chronicle, “There’s just no if’s and’s or but’s about it! Eventually we will have to raise the surcharge!”

According to Michigan State law, the County has the right to increase their surcharge up to 42¢ without voter approval. At 42¢, however, the 911 Committee estimates, dispatch services would only be able to continue until 2013, and keep in mind that dispatching is only a part of the complete 911 equation.

On May 5, 2009, voters in Gogebic County will asked to allow the County to assess up to $1.65 per line. The ballot language is as follows:

“For the period beginning on July 1, 2009 and continuing through the month of June in 2015, shall Gogebic County be authorized to assess a monthly surcharge of up to $1.65 (not to exceed $1.65) on the monthly billings of landline, wireless, and VOIP service suppliers withing the geographic boundaries of Gogebic County to be used exclusively for the funding of 911 emergency telephone call answering and dispatch services within Gogebic County, including facilities, equipment and operations?” ___Yes ___No.

“What we’re attempting to do with this language and ballot question is to start raising the necessary funds now. The surcharge will allow us to be able to get the equipment we need and we are required to update within Gogebic County.” Loeper said, “The fire paging radios specifically!”

“The transmitters are approximately $20,000 apiece.” Loeper warned, “By 2013, the Federal Government has required that all of these radios be updated operate on narrow banding.” Narrow banding allows better use of existing bandwidth by increasing the frequencies of each device. The higher frequency devices uses half the bandwidth of the devices they will be replacing – essentially doubling the number of channels on any given bandwidth.

“The 911 Committee has been in the process of ordering new pagers for narrow banding. But we still have a bunch of fire departments out there that, by 2013, their pagers won’t work. We have portable radios out there that are old and, by 2013, they won’t work. Whether the surcharge passes or not, everything needs to become narrow banded throughout the United States.” Loeper said, “It’s going to be picked up by the taxpayers no matter what!”

“So the cities and townships don’t have that burden, we can pay for that equipment out of the ‘allowable’ funds for 911. Purchases such as needed pagers and radios is perfectly within the law.”

Loeper went on to explain surcharge funds can only pay for equipment and services directly related to emergency 911 service. “The surcharge can only be used on items on the ‘allowable’ list. We cannot use to funds to purchase a new squad car for the sheriff, for example.”

“Radios!” Loeper added, “We have stated when we first started the 911 program, that we will watch over and fund the emergency communications for the County. And that’s were all the 800 mHz radios come in, through grants and other funding I’ve been able to find.”

Loeper explained that the portable radios cost approximately $1,500 each. He said that coverage has improved with the new radio system from 55% coverage to 95%. With the old radio system, the County had only two tower transmitters. With the new system the County has six.

“We have over a hundred emergency radios in Gogebic County,” Loeper explained, “And we pay a yearly fee for each radio to be on the system. Law enforcement, you’re looking at $200 per radio and fire department/EMS radios we pay $100 each per year.”

“I have extra radios on hand so when we have something big, like the water break emergency, we have all the radios to give out to DPW, search and rescue, Red Cross, so on and so forth. So we are looking out for the future of communications for Gogebic County. Most would agree that first responder communication has to be the best we have available, because these are the front line people.”

Loeper said he continues to apply for and receive Homeland Security Grants through the region. He explained that public works needs to be on the communication stream because they could very well play a big part in certain emergency responses.

“If the surcharge fails,” Loeper continued, “The mike fees and other related charges will have to be paid by the individual cities and townships within the County. We all know that cities and townships are strapped for cash. These are hard economic times!”

“The reason we are not requesting $1.65 is that we figured, because of the law language, if we needed more revenues we could go before the State 911 Committee by County resolution and state that we need more.” He made it clear that the costs with Negaunee Dispatch are continually rising. He said the added surcharge will give the Gogebic County 911 Committee the opportunity to either shop around for another dispatcher, or better yet, locate a dispatch center here in Gogebic County. He said bringing dispatch back to Gogebic County would be the most expensive option, but it would create at least five new quality jobs in the area.

“At $1.65,” Loeper estimated, “We should be able to do that!” He said once the initial equipment is purchased for a new Gogebic County Dispatch Center, the surcharge could be reduced. The Gogebic County Enhanced 911 Committee has a proven track record of being fiscally responsible. When the Committee had the right to charge as much as 80¢ per line, they kept the surcharge at 52¢ because it was, at the time, adequate to provide quality 911 service.

When asked how soon Gogebic County could realistically be expected to handle their own dispatch Loeper said, “If we decide to do it on our own, we’re looking at eighteen months to two years -- purchasing the equipment; transferring the equipment; having the needed phone lines installed; and the training.”

Loeper explained that dispatchers need to go through special training and be certified as a 911 dispatcher. Loeper said as many as five new jobs would be created within the county by bringing the dispatch back here.

“Now, if the surcharge vote fails,” Loeper reasoned, “With the new law, the low range by County resolution is 42¢, and there would not be enough money to bring the dispatch back to Gogebic County.” In fact, 42¢ is not enough money to maintain any kind of 911 service for any prolonged period of time. Should the surcharge fail, the money that is currently shared by thousands of users will then become the burden of only a few hundred property taxpayers.

The Gogebic County 911 Committee has been circulating informational literature that answers some frequently asked questions. The information is listed below:

What is 911 Central Dispatch? - 911 Central Dispatch coordinates responses to emergency situations. It uses a communications system with trained personnel, specialized equipment and coordinated dispatching to help all Gogebic County Emergency agencies; EMS, fire departments, police, etc.

Enhanced 911 receives the emergency phone call, provides immediate emergency instructions, locates the emergency scene, dispatches and coordinates all appropriate emergency agencies.

Gogebic County currently utilizes the Michigan State Police post in Negaunee for Central Dispatch Operations. By using regional consolidated dispatching we are able to cut costs and increase efficiency.

Why do we need a telephone surcharge of 911? - Gogebic County 911 is funded totally by a telephone surcharge.

Gogebic County residents must pass the surcharge on May 5th or ther will not be enough money to operate the system.

Will the 911 surcharge raise my taxes? -  No. The telephone surcharge is not part of county property tax dollars. The surcharge is collected by your telephone company and can be used only for 911 operations. You will see it on your monthly telephone bill.

Will the $1.65 surcharge be added to my phone bill if the proposal passes? - That amount is the maximum increase that will be allowable. Gogebic County 911 has always tried to operate on the lowest amount possible, and will continue to do so.

What is the financial status of local 911 funds? - Funding for Gogebic County 911 has been decreased: the Michigan Public Service Commission reduced our income level by over 10%, and the State of Michigan has raised our dispatching costs from $69,010 in 2007 to $222,218 in 2013.

To continue providing enhanced dispatching for Gogebic County, we need to establish an appropriate monthly surcharge to telephone bills, or we will be unable to provide the current 911 central dispatching services.

What would happen if the current 911 operations discontinued Enhanced 911 Dispatching? - Gogebic County would need to establish its own 24-hour dispatching staff for: All 5 Agencies of Law Enforcement; All 8 Fire Departments; and All 3 Ambulance Services.

Gogebic County would also eliminate its Enhanced 911 and return to Basic 911 services.

What is the difference between Basic 911 and Enhanced 911? - Basic 911 is an outdated standard of managing emergencies. It is simply a phone connection with a dispatcher who responds the "closest" emergency agency. Enhanced 911 allows the dispatcher to interact with computerized information to determine the exact location of the emergency (even if the caller is unable to speak), have information on file, and coordinate all local resources to quickily and appropriately manage the emergency situation.

Enhanced 911 is efficient, avoids delays and saves lives.