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Sumner County 911 board hears plan for 36¢ statewide 9-1-1 surcharge increase; county share estimated at about $460,000 if approved
Summary
Board heard a DCB director briefing that the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board is discussing raising the 9‑1‑1 surcharge from $1.50 to $1.86; the change would generate an estimated $36 million statewide, with Sumner County’s share about 1.742% (roughly $460,000) if the legislature and TECB approve rule changes.
During the Sumner County 911 Board meeting, the DCB director reported that the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board (TECB) has discussed raising the statewide 9‑1‑1 surcharge from $1.50 to $1.86.
The DCB director said the proposed 36¢ increase would generate about $36,000,000 in revenue statewide and that the funds were being discussed to support consolidation and technology needs. "They're looking to raise the 9 1 1 surcharge rate to a dollar 86," the DCB director said. The director added that Alabama had previously raised its surcharge and that influenced some members' thinking.
The proposal under discussion would split the additional revenue among several purposes: a portion for colocation or consolidated dispatch, about 15% for enterprise solutions and technology (for example, state-supported platforms), and the remaining roughly 75% distributed to districts. The DCB director said Sumner County’s current allocation percentage is 1.742%, which would result in a county increase of about $460,000 if the change were approved by the legislature and any required TECB rule changes.
Why this matters: 9‑1‑1 surcharge revenue funds dispatch consolidation, software and hardware upgrades, and district operations. A change at the TECB or in state law would affect how much local districts receive and how they budget for operations and technology subscriptions.
Board members asked clarifying questions about whether the surcharge would be different for commercial versus noncommercial lines; the DCB director said they had not heard specific proposals separating commercial and noncommercial rates and that the discussion to date focused on a single-rate increase. The director also cautioned that the figures were preliminary: "But again, nothing has been set in stone. Those were just the preliminary discussions," the DCB director said.
The DCB director said TECB members were scheduled to meet in the coming week or two for further discussion. Any change would require TECB action and, where applicable, legislative or rule adjustments before collections or distributions would change.
The board did not take formal action on the surcharge during this meeting; the item was presented as part of the director’s report and described as a preliminary proposal.
