Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 911 System Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OPE: Idaho's 9‑1‑1 system 'under strain'; committee asks OPE to study cost questions
Summary
An OPE report released to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee found Idaho's 9‑1‑1 centers face funding, staffing, data and efficiency challenges; the committee released the report and later approved a feasibility follow‑up to analyze cost questions and potential consolidation savings.
The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee voted to release a new Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) report which concluded Idaho's 9‑1‑1 system is strained by outdated funding, workforce shortages and limited statewide data.
"A majority or 64% disagree that they receive sufficient funding to provide the dispatch services their community needs," OPE senior evaluator Tasha Schreiter told the committee, citing survey results. She said smaller jurisdictions are hardest hit: among centers serving fewer than 25,000 residents, 94% disagreed they had sufficient funding. OPE noted the $1 per‑line phone surcharge has not changed since 1988 and that grant funds for the NextGen 9‑1‑1 transition are expected to be depleted by 2031.
The report identified four system‑wide pressures: funding shortfalls, workforce recruitment and retention problems, potentially too many centers for current call demand, and inconsistent data and oversight capacity. OPE recommended evolving the Idaho Public Safety Communications Commission (IPSCC) into a statewide program with authority to collect standardized financial and operational data, set reporting requirements and oversee NextGen deployment.
Sheriff Andy Creech, chair of the IPSCC, told the committee the commission supports the recommendations and emphasized the need for more statutory authority and sustainable funding to upgrade radio infrastructure and manage statewide contracts. "It would be easier... if this commission could enter into those contracts directly," he said.
After discussion, the committee asked OPE to do feasibility work to determine whether a deeper, cost‑focused follow‑up is possible — specifically to quantify shortfalls and estimate costs of consolidation or system changes — and authorized OPE to begin that initial feasibility work.
