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Assembly approves 50-cent E911 phone surcharge increase after hours-long debate on dispatch staffing
Summary
The Assembly approved raising the E911 search charge on phone bills from $1 to $1.50 to shore up the E911 fund and pay for additional call takers and dispatchers after a contentious debate about tax burden, fund balance, and dispatch capacity.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly voted to raise the E911 search charge by 50 cents on May 7, 2026, a move the administration said would bring in roughly $660,000 a year to pay for call takers, dispatchers and equipment upgrades.
Sponsor Assembly Member Demetri Fonoff framed the increase as a narrowly targeted fee on phone bills (not a per‑call charge) to stabilize a shrinking E911 fund balance and to staff a larger regional dispatch capability. "It's on your phone bill," the deputy mayor explained during the debate when members asked how the fee is collected. "It's one of those small little fees that get added to the phone bill."
Emergency management leaders described real operational pressure in the borough's dispatch center. Ken Barkley, director of emergency services, said dispatch workload has accelerated and that simultaneous life‑threatening calls are a daily reality. "For example, today there was a suicide attempt... That dispatcher is tied up on that call," Barkley said, adding that when a second, simultaneous incident occurs the center can be stretched past safe operational limits.
Supporters said the fee spreads the cost broadly among phone subscribers and keeps the burden off property taxes; critics called it a regressive charge and urged the Assembly to draw more down from fund balance before raising fees. Finance staff showed the fund balance declining over prior years and said without an increase the fund would not sustain planned equipment and staffing changes.
The Assembly debated whether the E911 board should have had more time to weigh the proposal and whether some funded positions could be filled from current unfilled slots at MATCOM rather than adding new positions. Supporters replied that recruitment and retention require committed funding and that the fund is projected to decline without a rate change.
The amendment to raise the search charge passed after several procedural votes and roll calls; the Assembly also approved related transfers to cover equipment and a grant to MACOM (the regional dispatch entity). The increase takes effect in the next billing cycle after necessary administrative steps.
What it means: The 50‑cent increase is intended to stabilize call‑taking and dispatch capacity in the near term and fund technical upgrades. Implementation details — including hiring and contract approvals for call‑taking — will be handled by the administration and MACOM in coordination with the borough.
