Grand Traverse County 911 Central Dispatch will seek approval from voters this year to increase its 911 surcharge on phone bills from $1.85 up to $2.50 – a boost that would put the department more in line with other area counties and pay for improved service coverage, equipment maintenance and replacement, staffing increases, and a potential future office move.

911 Director Jason Torrey appeared before county commissioners Wednesday to present his board’s unanimous recommendation to seek a surcharge increase from voters in 2020. Central Dispatch has collected $1.85 per month on phone bills – including both landlines and cell phones – from county residents since 2015, generating just over $2 million annually of the department’s $2.6 million budget. When voters approved raising the surcharge from 80 cents to $1.85 in fall 2014, it paved the way for 911 to make $3.5 million in technology and equipment upgrades, including replacing 800 emergency responder radios across the region to connect the county to the 800MHz Michigan Public Safety Communications System. The move improved connectivity and communication between public service agencies across the region.

The surcharge increase still didn’t 100 percent fund department operations, however: 911 draws a subsidy from the county’s general fund of just over $254,000 annually. The department is seeking to become self-sustaining – freeing up general funds for other county projects – and to prepare for future technology and infrastructure needs. The current $1.85 surcharge is set to expire in June 2021; Torrey hopes to seek an extension through 2027 that would raise the surcharge to $2.50, generating approximately $2.7 million annually. Anything short of that increase could leave the department funding shortage in the coming years given projected staffing and technology needs, Torrey said.

Chief among the list of anticipated costs is adding new equipment to a county-owned tower on River Road to expand 911’s service range, an estimated $1.25 million venture. “In particular, the center of the county, and most specifically the Garfield Road corridor and Village of Kingsley, have radio and pager coverage issues that can be addressed by adding a site to the system,” according to a report analyzing department needs. Other anticipated costs include adding one full-time employee and two work stations to address growing demands – the call center handled 43,086 incoming 911 calls, 79,562 dispatched calls for service, and 89,455 non-emergency calls in 2019 – and budgeting for a potential move to new offices. That could occur if the Sheriff’s Office and/or Grand Traverse County Jail relocate in the coming years, such as to county land on LaFranier Road – a proposal long under consideration.

Other 911 equipment needs include the ongoing maintenance and eventual replacement of the department’s specialized voice pagers, phone systems and radio consoles – including the Motorolas purchased in 2015, which are expected to need to be replaced after 2025. 911 is also looking to back up its Internet systems, Torrey said, which are used for everything from text-to-911 services to Code Red alerts to emergency response mobile applications. “All these things that we’ve learned to depend on are Internet-based,” said Torrey. Without adequate backup, 911 is vulnerable to an interruption of service that could have a “major impact” on its ability to notify first responders of pending emergency events, according to the needs analysis.

Torrey said that the surcharge ballot language specifically notes the department can collect “up to $2.50” because county commissioners have the ability to adjust that figure downward if the department’s needs don’t end up requiring the full $2.50. “The surcharge can be scaled back,” he said. Commissioner Sonny Wheelock reiterated that point, saying that if "either the relocation of 911 or the total replacement of the equipment does not occur, we may not choose to assess the whole $2.50. But we have the opportunity to do it if we pass the surcharge.”

Torrey added that Grand Traverse County’s current surcharge is lower than that of most other neighboring counties and well below the $3 maximum allowed by the state. Benzie and Missaukee counties both collect the full $3 surcharge, while Crawford County collects $2.35, Kalkaska County $2.52, and Wexford County $2.25. Commissioner Brad Jewett, who sits on the 911 board, said the board analyzed a range of financial scenarios – from staying at $1.85 to seeking an increase up to the full $3 – and found that $2.50 “was the number that made the most fiscal sense.”

“A lot of communities actually are going and have gone and asked for the $3 and have been getting it,” Jewett said, citing strong support among voters for 911 surcharges in neighboring jurisdictions. “So we thought we were actually being really conservative in asking for $2.50.”

County commissioners expressed support for the proposal and will officially vote on putting it on the ballot as soon as early April. That could allow the proposal to appear on either the August or November ballot this year – or both, if the initiative failed in August and officials wanted to try again in November. Torrey said he felt comfortable putting it on the ballot in November, saying he believed 911 could make its case to voters and that they would support the request. Commissioner Gordie LaPointe also advocated for putting the proposal on the November ballot, saying anticipated turnout for the presidential election would mean more residents would have a chance to weigh in.

“I would strongly push for putting it on the November ballot,” he said. “I believe when you have the highest number of people out there voting is when you want to put it (on the ballot).”