EDITORIAL: Provide essential 411 for 911 centers

As Lake County works on establishing its consolidated 911 dispatch centers, and as Porter County works out the bugs on its own, funding is the big question mark. And now the Indiana General Assembly is adding its own uncertainty to the mix.

Senate Bill 345 would eliminate the existing 911 fees on land-line phones — from as low as 39 cents in Lake County to as high as $3 — and replace them with a standard $1 fee. That would be a blessing for funding the technology improvements Lake County wants to implement, right? Not so fast.

Because this would be a statewide fee, the money would be distributed by a downstate committee. Lake County would get no less than it does already, but how much more it would get remains to be seen.

"We get a raise, from 39 cents to $1, but will we see that money back, or will we be a donor county?" asked Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller, who is heading up Lake County's 911 consolidation effort.

SB 345 also would create a uniform $1 monthly fee for wireless phones. It's now at 50 cents for regular wireless phones and 25 cents per phone card or other refill for prepaid wireless phones. That money, too, would go downstate.

State Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale, is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, where SB 345 now resides. Espich said he favors the 75-cent monthly fee proposed in House Bill 1087, a similar bill before Hershman's Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy.

The chief difference between the two bills, other than the amount of the initial fee, is whether counties would be limited to one 911 call center or, as Lake County plans, two centers. That distinction needs to be cleared up soon because the process of consolidating 911 service is urgent.

Likewise, counties need to know how much money they should expect for the new technology they are buying with 911 fees. Any money not covered by those fees has to come from somewhere, and counties need to know how much to look for as well as where to find it.

This is vital information for a vital public service. The General Assembly must not wait until the last minute to provide the answers — or, worse, to leave it unanswered until next year.

Making 911 fees standard at 75 cents or $1 per month for everyone, regardless of whether the phone is wireless or land-line, would offer some stability as customer preferences change and the industry evolves.

But make sure counties can collect that fee even before the consolidation is complete, so there will be money on hand to pay for the necessary equipment.