911 chief warns of tight finances, asks for staff and local support as state surcharge move advances
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Summary
Blount County emergency communications reported heavy 911 demand and infrastructure upgrades, requested one additional dispatcher and an administrative/training position, and said a pending state bill to raise the 911 surcharge could help; the chief warned of a likely year‑end shortfall without added funds.
The county’s emergency communications director (introduced to the committee as “Jimmy”) told the budget committee that dispatch handled about 192,525 phone calls in 2025, processed tens of thousands of NCIC transactions and served law‑enforcement, fire and EMS agencies across the county. He described recent investments — upgraded recording systems, replacement of climate controls and UPS infrastructure, new radio consoles and an AI‑assisted quality‑assurance process — and said the district has been operating conservatively but faces rising maintenance and personnel costs.
To keep pace, the director asked the committee to support the addition of one primary dispatcher (to staff an 11th primary console position) and an administrative position that would serve as training manager and accreditation coordinator. He said those positions would let dispatchers focus on radio/telephone duties while N C I C work and terminal‑agency coordination are handled separately.
The director said the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board has advanced a bill that would raise the statewide 911 surcharge; he described it as moving from $1.50 to $1.80 per line and noted it would generate additional revenue for districts if enacted, though he cautioned the county would still need local contributions. He said the district has requested an additional $100,000 from the county in combination with $50,000 requests to each city to stay solvent; committee members asked for the current staff totals and for clarity about how increased state funding flows to the district. The chief also noted the governor had flagged the bill and that the measure still needed to pass committee and appropriations steps.
The committee did not take an immediate vote; members asked clarifying questions about staffing numbers, minimums per shift, and how state distributions are applied to districts and statewide services.
