Voters will be asked to approve $1 phone surcharge

Boundary County stands to receive $250,000 to $300,000 to upgrade its 911 system, which will allow for quicker responses during emergencies.

There’s a catch.

Sixty percent of the county’s residents who vote in the General Election on Nov. 4 must approve a monthly $1 surcharge for everyone’s telephone lines, cell phones and Internet telephone connections in the county.

“This is so important for the safety of our community,” said commissioner Dan Dinning.

The $250,000 to $300,000, which is expected to come from the state, will cover the cost of providing the equipment for establishing an Enhanced 911 system, said county commissioner chairman Ron Smith.

The $60,000 that’s expected to be generated from the $1 fee billed to telephone lines will be used to maintain and operate the 911 system, Smith said.

In actuality, residents could end up paying $1.25 a month for each phone line. Assuming the voters approve the $1 fee, commissioners have the option to add another 25 cents.

“That money goes into a grant fund to help communities like us,” Smith said.

The sheriff’s office serves as a dispatch center for firefighters, police and ambulance personnel. The current 911 system requires that a caller tell the dispatcher the location of the emergency. If a caller falls unconscious or cannot talk, it can take up to 20 minutes to trace the call to find out its origin.

With Enhanced 911, dispatchers are provided with the name, address and telephone number from where the call is made. In addition, a map shows the location from which the call was made and location of the nearest emergency responder available.

The county is somewhat set up for Enhanced 911. That involved the process of assigning 3,800 new addresses to residents.

If voters approve the surcharge, the Enhanced 911 system could be available in about one year, Smith said.

Dinning noted the county can always reduce the $1 fee.