HARRISBURG, Pa. — Access to emergency services, while essential, comes at a cost; this includes the trained professionals working around the clock at dispatch centers across the state.
In Pennsylvania, a $1.65 cent monthly surcharge has helped fund dispatch centers since 2015. County Commissioners Association of Pa. (CCAP) Executive Director Lisa Schaefer says the money is falling behind – and running out of time.
"It's now not keeping up with the cost of the system as much as it could be," Schaefer said.
The surcharge is set to expire at the end of January, and the CCAP is calling for state lawmakers to extend and increase the monthly fee.
Under the proposal, the surcharge would increase from $1.65 to $2.30; it would also jump 15¢ every year.
"If that law isn't renewed and reauthorized, that means that surcharge that supports the state funding that supports the 911 system will go away," Schaefer said. "All of the costs will shift to our county property taxpayers to bear that burden."
County commissioners say the increase in the proposal would ensure that when you dial 911 in the event of an emergency, a trained professional at a dispatch center is on the other end of the call to assist you.
"Without an increase, counties across the Commonwealth would need to fund any remaining costs through county tax dollars," Lebanon County Administrator Jamie Wolgemuth said in a September meeting.
The CCAP estimates to the tune of more than $169 million dollars, or nearly 35% of the emergency service operating costs. In some cases, individual counties would shell out millions each year. If the measure is extended at the current rate, taxpayers would still be shouldering 11% of the costs.
"This is money we’ve relied on year, after year, after year," Wolgemuth said. "That comes to about $8,200 a day that the county would have to put out to continue to operate."
With the extra dollars, Schaefer says counties will be better equipped to keep emergency response systems staffed and up to date.
"An increase in the surcharge would help to reduce that burden on our property taxpayers, but still make sure the system is appropriately and properly funded," she said.
Legislation to implement the extension and increase is currently stuck in the State Senate.