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McLennan County endorses statewide wireless 9-1-1 fee increase, directs transmission to state lawmakers
Summary
The McLennan County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a resolution May 19 backing an increase to the statewide wireless 9-1-1 fee and a sustainable funding model for Next Generation 9-1-1, directing the resolution to state leaders and the county 9-1-1 district.
The McLennan County Commissioners Court on May 19 unanimously approved a resolution urging the Texas Legislature to adjust the statewide wireless 9-1-1 service fee and establish a sustainable funding model for Next Generation 9-1-1. County Administrator Dustin Chapman read the resolution into the record before the court voted.
The resolution notes the current $0.50 monthly fee has not been updated since 1997 and says Emergency Communications Districts lack taxing authority, relying on state- authorized fees to fund operations, cybersecurity, redundancy and lifecycle replacement. It references the 2021 mandate to implement NG911 statewide and notes McLennan County’s 9-1-1 district met the mandate but remains exposed to long-term funding shortfalls.
The court approved language urging any fee adjustment be reasonable, data- driven, and tied to oversight provisions; it also called for an automatic indexing mechanism (for example, CPI- based) and directed a copy of the resolution be sent to the county 9-1-1 district, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the Texas House and local legislative members. County Judge Scott M. Felton and all four commissioners voted in favor.
Why it matters: Local emergency communications depend on steady funding to maintain IP- based NG911 systems that handle voice, text and data. The resolution places McLennan County among communities pushing the Legislature to revise a nearly 30-year-old fee structure and to consider oversight and accountability for how revenues are used.
What’s next: The court’s clerk will transmit the resolution to state officials and the McLennan County 9-1-1 Emergency Assistance District, as the resolution requests.
