Franklin County officials warn of growing 9-1-1 funding shortfall, propose sales-tax option

Franklin County commissioners told a town-hall-style public meeting that the county faces a growing funding shortfall for 9-1-1 emergency services and discussed a potential quarter‑percent local sales-tax to replace diminishing landline revenues. Commissioners said the county currently relies on a per‑landline fee that has sharply declined as residents move from landlines to cell phones, leaving the 9-1-1 budget at risk.

Why it matters: 9-1-1 funding supports dispatch centers (PSAPs), equipment, and staffing that handle emergency calls. Commissioners said the shortfall could be more than $2 million and that current landline receipts have dropped from the mid six‑hundreds of thousands to roughly $300,000–$400,000 in the most recent year, creating an urgent budget gap for emergency communications.

Commissioners described how the county’s 9-1-1 revenue stream historically came from a landline tax (referred to at the meeting as a 15% landline fee). Commissioners said the decline in landline accounts means the fee no longer raises sufficient revenue. As one commissioner summarized the problem for the public, there is currently no statewide mechanism that allows counties to collect a comparable fee from cell‑phone service providers.

To address the gap, commissioners discussed two approaches: (1) seek a statewide legislative solution that would allow collection of a fee on wireless service, or (2) place a county ballot measure before voters to replace the landline fee with a quarter‑percent local sales tax dedicated to 9-1-1. The commissioners said a quarter‑percent sales tax would spread the cost across anyone who makes purchases in Franklin County rather than only landline customers, and could raise more revenue overall.

Commissioners noted political and logistical hurdles. They said some neighboring jurisdictions have their own dedicated revenue sources and PSAPs and would likely resist consolidation or surrender of their revenue streams. They also said a state funding solution would likely require consolidation of some local PSAPs to achieve economies of scale — a politically sensitive prospect because local jurisdictions are reluctant to give up control of their emergency‑dispatch centers.

Cost and timing: Commissioners estimated a special election to put a ballot question before voters could cost the county roughly $150,000 (estimate provided at the meeting), and they said state timing rules could require the county to hold a standalone election if no other ballot items align with the required timeframe. The county intends to continue exploring options before finalizing a recommendation to voters or the legislature.

The county emphasized that 9-1-1 service itself will continue to work for callers; the discussion was about long‑term funding sustainability rather than an immediate service interruption.

Ending: Commissioners said they will continue to investigate funding options and report back to the public as proposals are developed. They urged state lawmakers to consider a uniform funding mechanism for 9-1-1 but also said the county may present a local funding measure to voters if a legislative fix does not arrive.