By Liz McMahan
The Muskogee Phoenix
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — County voters approved a 911 tax on landlines and cell phones nearly a year ago, but it will be several more months — and several hundred thousand dollars — before the new service is implemented.
“It’s too far in the future. I really hate to say,” said Muskogee Fire Chief Derek Tatum, chairman of the Muskogee City-County Enhanced 911 Trust Authority.
He eventually estimated it could be 18 months.
However, things should start going much faster once a service coordinator is hired, and that may happen at a special meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The annual salary and benefits for that position have not been revealed.
Tatum said the equipment to bring the entire county and cell phones into the 911 network will cost about $1 million, and that money will have to be accrued before it is bought.
The new tax went into effect in January. Through Friday, the authority had collected $387,360.96, said Terri Mortensen, treasurer.
The money started trickling in during January and has increased every month as more telephone companies started collecting and remitting the tax, Tatum said.
The Authority has adopted a budget projecting annual revenues of $804,000.
The expense of setting up the countywide system goes beyond buying the equipment to receive the calls, Tatum said.
A building to house the center must be purchased. The authority is asking OG&E to donate its former downtown Muskogee offices. If the utility won’t give the authority the building, they are eying it for purchase at $210,000.
There will also be furniture and technological equipment to purchase before the center is opened.
The largest single expense will be payroll, Tatum said. Most of the employees will come from dispatching jobs at the current police and fire departments and Muskogee County Emergency Medical Service. They will work together in one large dispatch center instead of being scattered throughout the county.
The authority has spent very little money so far, Tatum said. So far, they have paid an architect to analyze several properties being considered for the 911 call center, paid for advertisements seeking a director and hired an accountant and attorney. They haven’t yet received bills from the latter two, Tatum said.
The city of Muskogee still receives the revenue from the 911 tax that was voted several years ago. That $250,000 will not go to the trust authority for countywide operations until it has the new equipment in operation, Tatum said.
The city now spends about $485,000 per year on its police dispatch center and separate fire dispatch center, said City Treasurer Jean Kingston.
The city and county likely will have to continue subsidizing the 911 dispatch service after the new system goes into effect, said Police Chief Rex Eskridge.
Copyright 2009