Legislature(1995 - 1996)
02/27/1995 03:02 PM House L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HL&C - 02/27/95 SB 55 - REPEALING SUNSET OF ENHANCED 911 SYSTEM Number 552 SENATOR JOHN TORGERSON, PRIME SPONSOR OF SB 55, stated this bill repeals the sunset clause authorizing local governments that have the enhanced 911 system to continue the surcharge against local phone cooperatives. He explained that local governments did not want to lose this revenue stream. It is a shared cost throughout the municipality based upon this surcharge. It was their request to remove this sunset provision and let the municipalities continue to collect the surcharge. Number 575 MARK JOHNSON, CHIEF, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH and SOCIAL SERVICES, told the committee that they support this bill. Most of the communities and municipalities around the state have or are in the process of implementing this system which provides the dispatcher with the automatic number and location identification of the caller. He acknowledged that some of the rural communities, particularly smaller areas that have dispatch capabilities or rural highway areas outside major cities and boroughs, should somehow find a way to benefit from enhanced 911 systems. He said this mechanism doesn't seem to be the way to do that. He offered that some other type of legislation may be needed to address those areas of the state. He said they would be willing to work on that. Number 594 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked what the surcharge was. MR. JOHNSON answered that for communities over 100,000 people, the charge was 50 cents per phone line; for those under 100,000 people, the charge would be 75 cents. Number 602 KEVIN O'LEARY, ANCHORAGE CHIEF OF POLICE, also responsible for the Enhanced 911 System in the municipality of Anchorage (MOA), testified via teleconference in support of SB 55. He stated the cost in the MOA is a little in excess of $3,000,000 per year to operate this system, they collect $883,000 year through the 50 cent charges. The system that rural areas have in place, does have the capabilities of handling statewide enhanced 911. If the state chooses to do so, the cost would be for installation of additional capacity in the computer and the tracking system. This system has been installed in some of the major municipalities in the Lower 48 that are larger than the population of the entire state of Alaska. Number 618 REPRESENTATIVE JERRY SANDERS asked how many phone calls were handled each year. CHIEF O'LEARY replied that the Anchorage Police Department handled in excess of 700,000 calls to their dispatch center, of which 230,000 resulted in some type of police action. The fire department handled between 12,000 to 15,000 runs and there were approximately 26,000 emergency medical technician (EMT) runs. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG stated the system was costing the municipality of Anchorage $3,000,000 per year and they were collecting approximately $883,000. He asked Chief O'Leary what the charge per phone line was, and what the 911 enhanced portion of the $3,000,000 is. CHIEF O'LEARY answered that it was 50 cents per line, but he didn't have information on the cost for the equipment at this time. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG (Indisc.--end of tape) TAPE 95-10, SIDE B Number 000 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked again what the totality of the enhanced 911 cost was. CHIEF O'LEARY stated that it was hard to separate the enhanced section, because it is part of the computer system that brings the name and location of the caller into the computer at dispatch. He explained there was one finite cost for all three functions with police, fire and EMT. Number 018 CHAIRMAN KOTT pointed out that since 911 benefits the city as a whole, and fire and police protection are the central function of government, why not pay for this system from the city's general funds. CHIEF O'LEARY stated this was the best way to pay for a system that was ongoing in terms of expenditures. He added that they had researched the laws in other states and discovered that Alaska was one of the last states not to have this type of system in place for a collection of a small fee to pay for the enhancement. CHAIRMAN KOTT asked if they were raising more money than what the system was costing. CHIEF O'LEARY answered that the money raised pays for approximately one-third of the total cost of running the system. This includes the cost of the enhanced 911 equipment, the emergency operators and dispatchers in various public safety access points hooked up to this system. Number 096 REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS asked if there were actually 2,000 calls per day coming in to the system in Anchorage. CHIEF O'LEARY answered yes, but of that number, perhaps 25 percent of those calls actually require some sort of police action. REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS replied that $3,000,000 divided by 780,000 calls equals $4.00 per call. He was astounded that 1 percent of the people in Anchorage called 911 every day. CHIEF O'LEARY stated those calls were not just 911 calls. The 911 systems track and trace phone calls coming into any telephone in the dispatch center. In the event that an individual calls into a business line and has some type of difficulty, the system would still be able to trace that call. REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN PORTER commented that the initial estimate of what the fee should be was at best, arbitrary. He stated he had not heard anything indicating that this hasn't been a benefit to communities. REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS asked if there was any reference to this when they put the bill through a few years ago. REPRESENTATIVE PORTER stated that part of the ability of this system is that a computer can display who is making the call. For instance, the child who doesn't know where they live or the person whose house is burning and they just forget they're at home as opposed to the job. Sometimes these people forget to call 911, or they sometimes call in on other numbers. Number 111 REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS asked about the anonymous informant that is trying to help the police without getting himself in trouble. REPRESENTATIVE PORTER answered that it could apply to that. Number 150 JEFF MORRISON, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES & LEGISLATIVE LIAISON, DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS, testified in order to clear up a letter sent by General Lestenkof dated February 2, 1995, to Representative Kay Brown. The purpose of the letter was simply to raise issues, not to take any stand or make recommendations on the bill. There are some issues concerning statewide 911 systems. The nature of the letter was to raise those issues and that was all. He said he will be drafting a letter to be signed by General Lestenkof and forwarded to Senator Torgerson stating this and clarifying the issue. CHAIRMAN KOTT pointed out that he had spoken to Mr. Harpring on the matter, and he had stated the same. Number 195 KEVIN KOCHLEIN, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY, MAT-SU BOROUGH, also the Enhanced 911 Project Manager, testified via teleconference and reiterated Chief O'Leary's comments that the borough was very much in support of SB 55. The surcharge had allowed them to initiate the process to get enhanced 911 services in the Mat-Su Borough. He explained they have had a basic 911 system over the last few years. The surcharge uses the additional funding over and above what is locally generated from tax revenues to purchase the equipment and the software and staffing to actually place enhanced systems on line. He stated their enhanced system should be on line late summer or early fall of next year. He stated that with Palmer's contract for dispatch services, the entire cost of the system should run approximately $850,000 this year. The surcharge would generate approximately $190,000 from the surcharge. In closing, MR. KOCHLEIN encouraged the movement of SB 55 through the House. LARRY TEAGUE, BUILDING INSPECTOR AND ZONING OFFICER, CITY OF PALMER, testified that they were in support of SB 55. His only comment was that they might consider Alaska Public Utilities Commission (APUC) or some agency oversight if there was a concern over the use of the 911 money. Number 242 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER clarified that this system does not display every incoming call to the police department. If a call comes in directly to a detective's phone and it is determined that call is a 911 call, it would be rerouted to the 911 Center. There is not a display by every phone in the police department that calls up the subscriber of the number. CHAIRMAN KOTT submitted that they should place this with APUC. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked why the sponsor does not delete the language, rather than extend the date. SENATOR TORGERSON stated he did not see the state ever going back and funding this amount of money being collected now. He stated it was a good system working well and helps offset the costs of the enhanced 911 systems, and just extending the date out would mean repeating this again in a couple of years. REPRESENTATIVE ELTON commented that this bill allows municipalities to make their own decisions. Number 297 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG pointed out that he supports Enhanced 911, but as a legislator he objects to voting on something for which the cost is not determined. SENATOR TORGERSON commented that the enhanced system was part of the mapping system. When called, the system would trace that call. In the Kenai Peninsula Borough they took even the utilities, so they were all using the same mapping system. Number 320 CHAIRMAN KOTT asked Chief O'Leary if the Eagle River area is complete and on line with the enhanced systems. CHIEF O'LEARY stated there was a small lag time where they had a problem with the specific address correction information, but this had been corrected. If you live in Eagle River, Chugiak or Eklutna it does come into their dispatch center. REPRESENTATIVE ELTON made a motion to move SB 55 with attached zero fiscal notes and individual recommendations out of committee. CHAIRMAN KOTT asked if there was any objection. Hearing none, the motion was passed.
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