Funding emergency services has proven to be a thorny problem at all levels of government.

The most recent iteration of that fight is playing out in the halls of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

And the center of the fight is the $1.65 monthly surcharge Pennsylvanians pay on their cell phone bills. Those E-911 dollars are then used to help fund 911 services.

Rep Jared Solomon (D – Philadelphia) put forward House Bill 1304 that called for an increase in that fee from $1.65 to $1.97.

“(T)he fee has not been adjusted since 2015,” Solomon said in a legislative memo for the bill, “and rising costs for equipment, operations, and new technology pose a problem for local 911 emergency departments.”

“Additional funding is needed to continue properly dispatching calls to keep Pennsylvanians safe during emergencies.”

Solomon called the surcharge a “crucial source of funding to offset operation and maintenance costs of our 911 services and telecommunications systems.”

The bill passed the House with bipartisan support 121-82 back in June. Rep. Kathy Rapp was among the dissenters. It’s just two pages and details the increase and then ties future increases to the Consumer Price Index.

A Senate committee, though, gutted the bill via amendment last month.

All the language regarding the increase is struck in that version and language was inserted calling for a legislative study to look at several questions including 911 system efficiency, “options for the consolidation of county 911 systems” as well as “options to allow 911 system employees to work from home” and the possibilities for 911 service incorporating AI.

County officials from across the state – including the Warren County Commissioners – are calling for an increase in that fee.

According to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, the E-911 funding “covers a significant majority of operational costs” and is a “relatively average fee” when compared to other states.

They highlight, though, that the surcharge in Pennsylvania has increased by less than one percent between 2016 and 2020.

“Counties have collectively contributed over $100 million annually from their General Fund revenues, which are derived from property tax dollars,” according to CCAP. “As costs for equipment and operations increase and Pennsylvania continues to make enhancements to the 911 system… additional funding is needed to continue to provide 911 services that are safe, efficient and keep up with the changing needs of the commonwealth.”

Without such an increase, they highlight the possibility for property tax increases on the county level as a result.

“To the average Pennsylvanian, more funding for 911 will come as an increase to their monthly surcharge fee on their cellphone,” CCAP argues. “While that may seem burdensome, the dedicated fee will ensure when someone dials 911, their call is answered by a trained professional who can assist in the immediate emergency at hand while dispatching the proper emergency response.”

The 2023 budget for Warren County projected $900,000 in E-911 revenue in addition to an additional $46,700 in E-911 funds for providing dispatching services for part of Warren County.

Commissioner Tricia Durbin said in the most recent commissioners meeting that CCAP is asking for the rate to increase to $2.60.

Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said the county has “gone from most of the service being covered” to the county having to put in $400,000 to cover costs for 911.

Eggleston pointed out that those opposed to raising the tax will be taxed locally to raise the funds to provide the service, arguing that $400,000 in property tax revenue the county raises to cover the difference is more expensive to the taxpayer than an E-911 surcharge increase.

He said that the formula regarding how the funding is split up would also be changed in this process, noting that there are some counties smaller than Warren that get the same amount of funding.

“The formula is not usually decided legislatively,” Commissioner Ben Kaffer.in. “We’ve been trying to get them to address the formula issue for years.”

Why?

“Warren County takes it on the nose,” Kafferlin said.

Both the state House and Senate are out of session this week, reconvening Mon. Dec. 11.