SELINSGROVE – Right now on your land line you are charged $1.50 in most Valley counties, and or cellphone phone bill, you are charged $1 for county 911 services, but area county commissioners want those fee to increase to $2. At a news conference with local lawmakers Monday, they said they are currently working with state legislators to craft legislation increasing the fee.
Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk explained that since the number of landlines is dropping, they are losing revenue, “We see more and more people switching and even cancelling their landlines and moving to cell phones. So, we are seeing a decline in revenue that comes to our 911 system, but we’re also seeing an uptick in costs for that system.”
Union County Commissioner Preston Ross doesn’t feel the increase to $2 will be an issue, “Today I would guess that we are all paying twice as much for cell phone service than what we were 15-years-ago. You know, to go from a buck to a buck and a half to two-bucks, is minimal compared to what your cell phone bill is.”
Ross says they can’t pay for 911 services the way they have in the past, “No longer can we float a 20-year bond for $10-million for upgrades, and then have to turn around and upgrade again in another five, six or eight years. Those things factor into it as well.”
Snyder County Commissioner Joe Kantz says this legislation is the number one focus of county commissioners in the state, “When we dial 911, we want to make sure somebody is going to answer that call and they are going to answer it professionally, timely, and most importantly, they are going to know who to call to get out to that person that has a need.”
State senator John Gordner (R-27th, Berwick), and state representatives Fred Keller (R-85th, Kreamer), Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-108th, Sunbury) and Kurt Masser (R-107th, Elysburg) attended a news conference Monday hosted by the commissioners. The lawmakers say they’ll take the information back to Harrisburg and will try to get the legislation passed.
The current law will expire on June 30, so the commissioners are trying to get this passed prior to the deadline. Kantz says 911 centers have spent millions on upgrades using local revenues—property tax money. They are hoping an increased and steady funding stream will change that and make mandatory upgrades affordable. (Ali Stevens)