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Bonner County to pursue workshop with municipalities on 911 dispatch funding and repeater upgrades
Summary
Budget reviewers flagged declining landline revenue, legacy equipment needs and a subsidy of partner agencies; commissioners asked staff to schedule a workshop with cities, fire and ambulance districts to discuss cost-sharing and capital needs.
Bonner County commissioners spent an extended portion of the June 18 budget meeting on 9-1-1 dispatch and communications budgets, discussing declining revenue from landline surcharges, the county's historical subsidy of partner agencies and a long list of capital and equipment needs for repeaters and microwave links.
Finance staff said landline-related fees have declined as residents move to wireless service: the county collected about $48,000 last year and has collected roughly $39,000 so far this year, prompting staff to recommend reducing the landline revenue estimate. Wireless (cellular) surcharge revenue, by contrast, is steady and expected to remain a material revenue source.
Commissioners and staff also reviewed the communications side: one-off capital needs were discussed including a $1.9 million estimate cited for microwave-to-repeater upgrades, a possible $90,000 cost to move a site near a gas station if required, and a $15,000 battery-replacement estimate for repeaters. Staff also said the Balding Mountain building was deteriorating and earlier engineering suggested replacement costs in the ballpark of $400,000; a comprehensive systems study to assess redundancy and end-of-life risk could cost several hundred thousand dollars.
Board members noted that municipalities, fire districts and other partner taxing districts use dispatch services but pay little or no direct share for ongoing operating or capital costs. Commissioners directed staff to schedule a workshop in the coming weeks that would include municipalities and local fire/EMS districts to present usage data, revenue trends and proposed options to distribute operating and capital costs more equitably, potentially phased in so partners can budget the change.
Staff and commissioners did not set a final cost-sharing model at the meeting; they instructed county staff to prepare usage figures and a menu of options (e.g., direct fees, interlocal agreements, phased contributions, impact-fee allocations) for the planned workshop so partners can consider the county's proposed path forward.
