Lack of Funding puts 911 callers in Missouri on HOLD

Lack of funding puts Missouri wireless 911 service on hold
Monday, August 13, 2007

By Ann Pierceall
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Missouri is the only state in the country lacking a mechanism to fund wireless 911 service, and 17 counties in the state have no 911 service at all.

Efforts to bring such service to all of Missouri keep hitting a brick wall — funding. Voters have twice turned down ballot initiatives to fund 911 statewide.

State members of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) say a simple user fee — one that could be placed on tires or batteries, for example — doesn't need voter approval. Such a fee could be tacked onto a cell phone owner's monthly bill for wireless 911 service.

Missouri NENA President Mike Kindle said getting government officials to act on a measure is the group's challenge. Legislation was readied for this past session but never made it to a vote.
"We've been told more than once ... this is going to sound really bad ... but to get on the radar screen, you have to have a tragedy. We are trying hard to get this fixed before there's a tragedy," Kindle said.

Kindle said there's a second purpose in trying to get the word out about wireless 911 funding.

"People think they can call 911 on their cell phone and be located. That's just not true in most areas. Unfortunately, most 911 centers across the state are unable to locate them at this time. We want them to be prepared," he said.

Kindle said many of the state's centers don't have the locally driven funding to buy the technology to locate 911 callers. Even more technology is needed for devices such as Blackberrys and voice-over products now on the market.

In Northeast Missouri, four counties have no 911 service at all: Knox, Scotland, Schuyler and Clark. Any 911 calls placed in those counties are routed to different agencies that have the service. The ability to locate a 911 wireless caller is limited at best.

Lewis, Shelby, Monroe and Ralls counties have some capacity to locate wireless 911 callers. Marion County can receive wireless 911 calls but cannot locate a caller.

Mike Hall, executive director for Marion County 911, doesn't want to alarm local citizens. He said each of these counties have enacted funding systems to help keep them functioning. He said "it's very disturbing" to know that nearby counties have no 911 service.

"If the state doesn't make 911 funding a top priority, it's going to continue to be in crisis," he said. "Every state around us has passed wireless 911 funding. (Someone) using the U.S. 36 corridor expects the same level of service they get in Illinois and Kansas.

"We're the last state in country that hasn't gotten this worked out."

R.D. Porter, the state 911 coordinator, said funding has been an issue for more than 10 years. It boils down to citizen expectations.

"They expect the same level of service as they get on a landline phone. They expect to get that service no matter where they're at in the state of Missouri," he said. "What they don't have is the understanding that it's not there."

Porter says some counties have no tax base to support 911 of any sort.

Last year, $425,000 in Homeland Security grant money was spent to do a study to determine the state of 911 in Missouri. Porter credited Gov. Matt Blunt, who after the study was released called on legislators to address the issue.

"(But) all he can do is ask ... he can't make them do it," Porter said. "This is a public safety issue. This isn't a political issue. And folks on both sides of the aisle need to understand that."

Republican Speaker of the House Rod Jetton has created a House subcommittee to investigate how best to tackle wireless 911 funding.

It will be led by Rep. Mark Bruns, R-Jefferson City.

The subcommittee will hold hearings across the state to get feedback from local officials and residents.

Jetton hopes for a report by December. He proposed using a more regional approach, routing such calls through a regional 911 center instead of the county-run centers used now.

"The problem is territories. Nobody wants to give up their 911 systems," he said.

Jetton said the user-fee option is one option to look at for funding, pointing out that no matter what the solution is, "we'll not be about to do it for free."

"The local governments are going to have to communicate to voters and tax payers why this is so important," he said. "It's definitely a huge need. The emergencies aren't slowing down."