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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 11, 2015 11:30 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Bob Mensch |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | County Based 911 Funding Plan |
| In the near future, I plan on introducing legislation that would create a completely new concept on how we fund our 911 centers across the Commonwealth. 911 services are an important, valuable and fundamental function of government. My plan will create a funding source for 911 centers that is simple, reliable and more accountable to tax payers. This plan would authorize counties to impose a fee on a per occupied housing unit basis that is UP TO $52 a year. It allows the County Commissioners to adjust the fee according to their 911 center needs. This legislation will include a discount for seniors and also would impose a business fee that would be assessed on a sliding scale depending on number of employees that work at a commercial property, similar to the business fee structure in current law. The fee will be collected by local tax collectors or municipalities and remitted to the county. There will be a percentage of the fee kept at the local level for administration. There will also be a percent of the fee that is remitted by the county to PEMA for administration, grants, regionalization and other 911 activities. It is impossible to keep up with the pace of technology and how to assess a fee on everything that has the capability of calling 911, as some proposals try to accomplish. Therefore, over the next three years this plan will phase out the current way we fund 911 and rely on this more simple, reliable, flexible and transparent way of funding. During this phase out, there is an opportunity to use the influx of revenue to address specific 911 needs and close funding gaps that have been around for years. The numbers after the phase out will guarantee that most counties will be in the black and the ones that are in the red are negligible and can be smoothed out over the phase out to be made whole. We have seen similar legislation being introduced in other parts of the country. It is time for the legislature to look outside of the box in order to fully fund 911 centers for the foreseeable future instead of coming back to the table every few years to tax a new technology. This is a fundamental change in the way we fund 911, but it is a change that is needed to preserve this important governmental function. The safety of this Commonwealth depends on the reliability of our 911 centers and now is the time to make sure they are fully funded and this plan is the only way to get there. If you have any questions please call Matt Azeles in my office at 717-787-3110. |