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Alpena County 911 director urges renewal of $3-per-device fee ahead of May special election
Summary
Alpena County Central Dispatch Director Kim Elie told the city council the county is asking voters in a May 5 special election to renew a $3-per-device local 911 charge, saying the charge funds salaries, training and technical redundancy and that a lapse could cause a funding gap starting Jan. 1.
Kim Elie, director of Alpena County Central Dispatch, told the Alpena City Council on April 6 that the county is asking voters to renew the local $3-per-device 911 “search charge” in a special election scheduled for May 5.
Elie said the local charge is the primary source of dispatch operations funding — covering dispatcher salaries, benefits, training, equipment and redundancy systems — and that state rules restrict search-charge dollars to 911-related uses. “That $3 a month on each of those devices does help us continue funding 911,” Elie said, adding that the department keeps a separate 911 fund and provides annual reporting to the state 911 office.
Elie summarized recent performance and finances, saying the local charge and the state share together supported dispatch operations (the meeting transcript reports “the local search charge provided $970.95 to Alpena County Central Dispatch” and “another $191,000 from the state search charge” for 2025). She also said the office finished the prior year about $70,000 in the black and passed a state audit covering five years without exceptions.
The director explained that because the current local charge expires on Dec. 31, the county must certify funding for the state fiscal year (July 1 start) by May 15, which is the reason for the special election. If the local search charge is not renewed and a gap occurs, Elie warned the council could see longer call‑answer times, possible job losses and the prospect of consolidation of dispatching with another jurisdiction — outcomes she said the county wants to avoid.
Council members asked technical questions about which devices are covered; Elie said the charge applies to devices that have a phone number and offered to follow up with the state 911 office on edge cases (for example, devices with data plans but no phone number). She also described redundancy arrangements (multiple call-answer systems and a reciprocal backup center) and staffing: the dispatch center is “fully staffed with 10 full-time dispatchers and one part‑time” employee, with a minimum on-duty staffing level of two.
The council moved to “receive and file” Director Elie’s presentation; the motion was supported and accepted by the council.
Next steps: the special election is set for May 5; the director and county staff said they are working with county and state officials to minimize the need for repeated special elections and to ensure continuity of funding.
