Upgrade 911 Without Increasing Debt
Posted 05-15-1998
One of the most important services that Westmoreland County government provides to its
citizens is our emergency management system and our 911 phone service. Because we live in
an ever-changing world, we must continue to adapt and utilize technology to make the
system more effective. Some of the issues related to this service are in our control.
Others, such as the cooperation of the telephone companies, we cannot control. But we
intend to make the system as near-perfect as possible.
Several years ago the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) assigned ten (10) 800 MHz radio frequencies to
Westmoreland County. Because low band frequencies are becoming more congested many
emergency management entities are moving to communications at the 800 MHz level. We are
required to demonstrate to the FCC that we have a plan to utilize those frequencies and
have began to implement that plan by July 1999. If we do not, the FCC will auction off
those frequencies and in the future, when everyone is communicating at the 800 MHz level,
we would have to purchase frequencies at a high cost. So we have decided to move forward
with the implementation of an 800 MHz system, but it will take a substantial investment of
public dollars.
Original estimates put the cost at
somewhere between $12 million and $15 million. However, by entering into a contract with
Robert Kimball Associates of Ebensburg to design our system, we have been able to lower
that number to $6 million. However, that does not include the cost of radios. The estimate
for an initial acquisition of radios is between $2,000 and $2,200 per radio.
Implementation will be a gradual process that will allow users to replace low-band radios
with those equipped for 800 MHz communications.
Much of the expense is associated with
equipment at our 911 center, and equipment that will be placed on the network of towers,
where we are already leasing space. So the leasing expense is one we are already paying.
However, Kimball Associates' initial assessment identifies the possible need for three
additional tower locations to provide the comprehensive level of coverage. As they move
further into the project, the number of tower locations will be finalized as quality of
coverage is measured.
The real challenge for us is determining
how to pay for this new system. The bill will not come due at one time but should be
spread out over several years. One proposal is to issue debt to pay for the project over a
drawn out period of time. It would require the least amount of short-term pain but would
add an amount nearly twice the total price of the project to our debt service payments.
Another alternative is to utilize money we put into this year's budget for new 911
equipment (roughly $4.2 million) and money we have available in our capital budget that
won't be spent to build a new building for another department (at least $2 million). This
money was made available from a bond issue done in 1997.
I am in favor of utilizing money already
available. While issuing debt is a common way of financing projects, it does pass a burden
on to future generations. With the great degree of financial uncertainty we face in the
future, I'm not sure adding to our debt service is prudent. We don't know what future
reimbursements from the state and federal governments will be. Some budget projections in
the not too distant future have us facing sizable deficits with no fund balances available
to balance our budget. It seems more fiscally responsible to utilize money we have already
budgeted, money from the capital budget, and add any necessary funding in upcoming
budgets.
We simply must be conservative in
developing future budgets, as continued deficit spending is going to catch up with us. The
cost of our 911 operation is not covered by the $1.25 surcharge placed on telephone lines.
Therefore we must subsidize 911 with General Fund money. Changing technology puts great
demands on our budget, but our responsibility is to make the 911 service as effective as
possible. The real irony of this situation is that this year is the final debt service
payment ($900,000) on our current 911 system, and we are told it is already obsolete. |
