Posted by: Rachel Barnhart - Last Update: 9/22 7:42 pm - (Rochester, N.Y.) – Every county in New York has E-911, the life-saving technology that allows dispatchers to pinpoint your location if you call from a cell phone. Yet, cell phone users continue to pay a monthly surcharge that was put in place in 1991 to pay for the system.
“The original law, it was supposed to go to the 911 centers,” said John Merklinger, Monroe County’s 911 director and president of the New York State 911 Coordinators Association.
A Syracuse Post-Standard investigation found that of the $1.20 monthly 911 surcharge paid by cell phone users, only 6 cents goes to 911 centers.
Instead, the Post-Standard found the money goes to daily expenses at agencies including the state police. A 2002 state audit slammed spending of the surcharge money on items such as overtime, dry cleaning, and travel. After the audit, lawmakers made the surcharge law more vague.
Some of the fund has also gone to a $2 billion statewide police and fire radio system that keeps failing tests.
Paterson recently said $40 million of the surcharge money will be used to balance the state budget.
“I think it's outrageous. It's a ripoff,” said Linda Cruttenden.
“Seems to me if they're charging us for 911, it should all go to that service,” said Jim McRae.
“Typical extra change that the politicians are getting their greedy hands on,” said Dan MacDonald.
Assemblyman David Koon has been fighting for better 911 funding since his daughter called 911 before she was murdered and dispatchers couldn’t find her in time.
“That money is there for a specific reason. It's there for E-911 and we need to make sure that's where the money's going,” Koon said,
In the meantime, local taxpayers – not cell phone users – end up paying the bulk of 911 upgrades and operating expenses. Merklinger said his budget is about $13 million a year.
Merklinger estimates Monroe County cell phone users send the state more than $6 million a year. The Monroe County 911 center gets back $400,000 annually. A recent upgrade of the system cost $11 million, the bulk of it paid for by property taxes and revenue from the $.35 monthly fee paid by landline phone customers.
Some counties added another $.30 to the cell phone surcharge to pay for 911 services.
“The state fully intends to keep spending the money however they see fit. I really think the public thinks that money's for 911 and that's not the case,” Merklinger said.