There's no surplus of 911 funds.

Byline: Jerry Smith For The Register-Guard

The Register-Guard's May 31 editorial in support of House Bill 2709, which would allow the use of 911 tax dollars to fund the Oregon Poison Center, was off the mark in both its stance and its information. The Oregon Health and Science University poison center is an important service that deserves adequate funding. Using 911 tax dollars, however, is not the answer.

Simply put, there is no surplus of 911 funds. Every phone in the state is taxed 75 cents per month to fund 911 services. Many erroneously believe that due to the proliferation of cellular phones, the 911 system is now overfunded. However, the significant increase of cellular phones has not come without a cost to the 911 system.

More access means more 911 calls, and more calls result in more network and service costs. Five years ago, a car accident at the Interstate 5-Belt Line Road interchange resulted in two or three calls to 911. Today, a similar accident may be reported by five to 10 cellular callers. More network phone equipment and staffing is needed to handle the increased cellular call load.

Other complications are involved in the processing of cellular calls. When a call comes in to 911 on a cellular phone, call takers have no immediate location or address information - sometimes there is not even a phone number for reference. Cellular connections are often not constant or clear.

The issue of "phantom" 911 calls is growing due to the increased use of cellular phones. These occur when users unknowingly hit the 911 speed dial button when, for example, placing their cell phones in their pockets or purses. "Phantom" calls can even come from deactivated phones - in Oregon, a user can dial 911 on any charged cellular phone even if regular service has been deactivated. Both legitimate and unintended cellular calls add to the processing and network activity necessary to carry those calls through the system.

The 911 tax supports the first phase of enhanced 911 (E911) service. E911 provides the address of a caller using a "hard line" phone. Call takers use this information to confirm an address with a caller. More importantly, this information is used when callers are unable to speak or explain the nature of their emergency, let alone give their location.

Oregon now faces implementation costs for the second phase of E911 technology: pinpointing and mapping the location of callers using cellular phones. Cellular callers often do not know or cannot provide their location. Currently, these callers are kept on the line as call takers use geographic landmarks or other means to determine where the emergency is - a cumbersome process at best, especially in the case of a true emergency.

This problem will be virtually eliminated when the next phase of E911 is implemented. The new technology will provide the dispatch center the location of a cellular call, accurate to within 100 feet. That needed technology must be paid for with 911 funds. Diverting 911 tax dollars would remove money intended to fund this lifesaving federal mandate, further delaying implementation of this vital public safety technology.

The Central Lane Communications Center provides 911 emergency call-taking services for 303,000 citizens. Its service area extends from the Coast Range to the Cascades, covering 2,245 square miles. The 911 tax funds approximately 28 percent of the 911 costs in our operation. The remainder is paid by local jurisdictions. The center has faced budget reductions in the past three fiscal years because 911 tax dollars did not cover the cost.

The Legislature has diverted more than $10 million of 911 tax funds during the past two years. Our Central Lane Communications Center's operating reserve funds are now nonexistent; service reductions have already occurred. Any further diversion of the 911 tax would require additional local funding or further reductions in emergency call-taking services.

Those who support diverting the dedicated 911 excise tax to essentially backfill OHSU's general fund fail to acknowledge what the revenue pays for now, and fail to realize the future price they are asking the public to pay. The revenue funds lifesaving services and planned improvements, including those mandated by federal law.

This is a dedicated tax that should be used to fund 911 service. The public expects that the fees will be used for their intended purpose. That trust must not be betrayed.

Jerry Smith is chief of the Springfield Police Department and chairman of the board for the Central Lane Public Safety Answering Point.