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911 center director urges commissioners to reconsider funding after state action left local shortfall
Summary
A representative of the 911 center described past county investments, a recent lump-sum payment and high operating costs, and urged the commission to review 911 funding after the governor and legislature left decisions to local governments; commissioners said they funded 911 at last year's level for now.
A representative who identified himself as Eric Carpenter addressed the Hamblen County budget committee on June 8 to explain the 911 center’s finances and the potential consequences of underfunding dispatch services.
Carpenter said the legislature and the governor left funding responsibility to local governments and listed investments the 911 center has made on behalf of the county: a lump-sum payment (described in testimony as nearly $1.2 million) to acquire a building, a CAD (computer-aided dispatch) upgrade costing more than $600,000, and a $70,000 purchase for dispatch protocols software. "When we updated our to an NG 911 system, all of the fiber transition to the state networks was done at 911's expense," he said, and noted the center's national recognition for meeting education and standards.
Carpenter asked commissioners to consider the operational impacts if the center’s budget is reduced. He said the request before the commission was a joint city-and-county request that would bring the center to a zero budget and that had the vetoed state revenue passed, the local request would have been roughly $336,000 combined.
Commissioners discussed the 911 budget at several points; the finance committee ultimately confirmed it would fund 911 at last year’s numbers and said there was not a way to fund an additional increase at the meeting. Commissioners left open the possibility of revisiting 911 funding in later meetings.
What’s next: The committee funded 911 at prior-year levels for now; if commissioners choose to revisit the request they may do so at future committee meetings.
