Public Affairs Guidance

Public Affairs Guidance

Backgrund In 1988, Hardin Cunty Fiscal Curt implemented a safety answering service t prvide a single telephne number fr emergency services knwn as E-911. At the time f its establishment, Hardin Cunty Gvernment prvided fr the funding f this vital service thrugh a mnthly fee levied n each landline telephne subscriber in Hardin Cunty, which was cllected thrugh telephne prviders. At the time f the established E-911 service and fee, mst husehlds cmmunicated thrugh landline telephnes as there were few cellular telephnes in existence. The fee levied n landline telephne service is the primary funding surce and n lnger supprts the necessary maintenance and peratin f an E-911 service due t the decline in landline subscribers. Service fees are als levied upn cellular service. Hwever, this fee is administered by the State f Kentucky nt Hardin Cunty which is then distributed t Kentucky cunties based upn ppulatin. This distributin des nt add enugh funding t E-911 t meet the emergency needs f Hardin Cunty r replace the funds lst frm the decline in landline subscribers. Gals f the E-911 Service Serve as the single interface between citizens with emergencies and Hardin Cunty s first respnders. Prvide exact lcatin services t first respnders thrugh existing and emerging technlgies. Ensure quick and efficient respnse f emergency service prviders t the exact lcatin f an emergency t reduce respnse times and errrs in an effrt t increase citizens safety and health. Relay real-time infrmatin t first respnders thrugh existing and emerging technlgies. Talking Pints Issue: Funding The current funding structure n lnger supprts the staffing and infrastructure csts f E-911. The annual funding deficiency is $240,743.63 ver the last three fiscal years. Funding f mre than $2 millin is required t finance a new transmissin system and increase staffing t meet current demands. Issue: E-911 Fee T make the prper investments int Hardin Cunty s E-911 service and t prevent catastrphic failure, the E-911 fee must be cllected thrugh anther, mre equitable and fairer means. An E- 911 annual fee is prpsed at $42 per year -- a mdest $10 annual increase -- fr each ccupied individual residential unit, and each ccupied individual cmmercial, religius, charitable r educatinal unit upn each parcel f real prperty lcated within the territrial limits f Hardin Cunty, as determined frm the recrds f the Hardin Cunty Prperty Valuatin Administratr s ffice and Hardin Cunty E-911. This apprach will imprve the E-911 funding situatin by apprximately $600,000 per fiscal year. Issue: Current Infrastructure

The series f twers, sensrs, cmputers and radis that make up the E-911 service are severely utdated and fail n a regular basis. Over the past 12 mnths, the system has experienced nine utages. The system is subject t a catastrphic failure at any time. Issue: New Technlgies Tday s technlgy ffers pprtunities t significantly increase respnsiveness t citizens with emergencies. Mdern technlgies cnsist f reverse E-911 (smart E-911), texting, vide messaging (i.e.: FaceTime) and digital radi transmissin. E-911 is unable t implement these new pprtunities due t the current funding cnstraints. Issue: Call Vlume The current staffing cnstruct restrained due t funding deficiencies cannt meet the increase in call trajectry. E-911 calls are rapidly appraching an average f 1 per Hardin Cunty citizen per year. Calls have increased frm 71,800 in FY07 t 95,331 in FY17, an increase f nearly 33% ver ten years. Perspective frm Emergency Respnders E-911 Directr Mike Le: We are maintaining ur system thrugh used parts the best we can. We ve had cmmunicatin twers dwn fr days because we faced extreme difficulty finding replacement parts. We are lucky we didn t have majr emergencies during thse perids. We are at a pint where parts are becming increasingly rare and a catastrphic system failure is imminent. KY 911 Services Advisry Cuncil Member & E-Twn Plice Chief Jamie Land: Technlgical advances in E-911 has delivered the ability t text dispatch centers, which is a mnumental advancement in prviding dmestic vilence, rbbery, burglary and assault victims a discreet frm f cmmunicatin. An upgrade t Hardin Cunty s systems wuld be a huge step frward in prviding anther tl t persns in situatins where discretin increases their chances f survival. Hardin Cunty EMS Directr Jamie Armstrng: Our ambulances ften respnd t remte areas within the cunty where radi service is the nly cmmunicatin ptin. Withut reliable radi service, we cannt receive adequate patient cnditin infrmatin t prepare ur treatment plan nr transmit critical patient infrmatin t Hardin Memrial Hspital in advance f ur arrival. Hardin Cunty Emergency Services Directr Bryce Shumate: When cmmunicatin utages have ccurred, first respnders have had t use infrastructure frm ther agencies t cmmunicate r relay infrmatin. If this were t ccur during a mass casualty r ther large scale event, the unexpected need t crdinate anther prblem and the resulting chas wuld leave members f this cmmunity very vulnerable. Hardin Cunty Sheriff Jhn Ward: My fficers are ptentially in harm s way every time they answer a call. We must have a cmmunicatins system we can cunt n t wrk wherever we are in the cunty. Secnds may determine life and death and ur radis must wrk when we push the buttn because, there likely will nt be time t dig ut a cell phne that may r may nt have signal. Valley Creek Fire Chief Jey Sctt: We ve encuntered system failures while respnding t emergency calls. Nt being able t cmmunicate thrugh the emergency system places life and prperty -- including ur wn -- in immediate danger. It decreased ur respnse efficiency each time.

Frequently Asked Questins 1) What are citizens paying nw fr E-911 service? Hardin Cunty citizens are currently paying $2.74 per landline per mnth ($32.88 per year), which is adjusted each year based upn the cnsumer price index (CPI). 2) Hw much funding des the current fee generate? The current fee generates apprximately $1.050 millin in revenue in a fiscal year. 3) Hw much will the new funding methd prvide E-911? The new billing apprach will imprve the E-911 funding situatin by apprximately $600,000 per fiscal year. 4) Is this fee impsed n cellular service? Yes; the State f Kentucky has implemented a fee f $.70 per pst-paid cellular line and $.93 per pre-paid cellular line. This mney is distributed t E-911 services acrss the state based upn ppulatin. In FY 17, this generated apprximately $380,000 fr Hardin Cunty s E-911 service. 5) Why are upgrades t the system needed? The current transmissin system cmpnents are at the end f their life, meaning they are n lnger manufactured and are severely utdated. As a result, replacement parts are becming harder t lcate delaying repairs and leading t decreased emergency respnsiveness. In additin, the series f twers, sensrs, cmputers and radis that make up the E-911 service are failing n a regular basis. Over the past 12 mnths, the system has experienced nine utages. The system is subject t a catastrphic failure at any time. 6) Why was the ptin t place the fee n prperty taxes chsen ver ther methds? Other methds were explred and discussed such as, placing the fee n water bills, billing it separately thrugh a private cmpany and placing it n the trash bill. Placing the fee n the prperty tax bills will result in a fairer distributin f the burden f funding this service and create a mre stable funding surce. In additin, it is mre efficient and a cheaper cllectin methd as the Hardin Cunty Sheriff is already cllecting prperty taxes fr the cunty. The Sheriff can cllect this fee fr less and als receive a prtin f the funding fr perfrming this functin t fund mre law enfrcement activities. 7) Hw have ther cunties addressed this issue? Significant evaluatin f ther systems was cnducted. The mst cmmn methd is adding the fee t the prperty taxes and using the sheriff s cllectin infrastructure fr efficiency. 8) Is the additinal fee n the prperty tax bill in additin t the landline fee? N; adding the fee nt the prperty tax bills will REPLACE the current landline fee after a shrt phase-ut perid t ensure adding the fee t the prperty tax bill cincides with Hardin Cunty s fiscal year. 9) Will the cellular fee remain n my cell phne bill? Yes; the State f Kentucky administers this fee, nt Hardin Cunty. The funds are apprtined t the 911 services state-wide based upn ppulatin. 10) Can the funds generated frm this fee be used fr anything ther than E-911 services? N; all funds generated frm E-911 fees must be used fr that purpse ONLY. 11) Hw are residential, cmmercial, religius, charitable and educatinal units defined? Residential unit: Defined as each residential space designed and/r utilized fr ccupancy fr residential purpses and includes each apartment unit and mbile

hme as a separate residential unit. Fr the year beginning January 1, 2018 nly, wners f ccupied rental units shall be eligible t claim a credit f $21.00 per ccupied unit against the annual fee per unit that is due. This credit, which is the equivalent f a 6-mnth prtin f the fee, is granted in rder t allw wners f rental prperty additinal time t fully recver the amunt f the fee frm their tenants, as they determine. In subsequent years, the full amunt f the annual fee shall be paid fr all ccupied units by the wner. Cmmercial unit: Defined as a nn-residential building space f any size designed and/r utilized fr ccupancy by an individual nn-residential business r public r private enterprise. Religius unit: Defined as a nn-residential building space f any size designed and/r utilized fr ccupancy fr religius activities and/r wrship. Educatinal unit: Defined as a nn-residential building space f any size designed and/r utilized fr ccupancy fr the purpse f educatin, the administratin theref r extracurricular activities. 12) Is there an appeals prcess? Any appeal f an ccupancy r individual unit determinatin may be made t the Hardin Cunty Emergency Services Cmmittee by December 15 f the year fr which the fee is due. 13) Is this an ptinal fee? The failure f any wner f the real prperty f a residential, cmmercial, religius, charitable r educatinal unit t pay the E-911 fee as set frth in the Ordinance shall be punishable as a Class B Misdemeanr and/r by civil cllectin prcess. 14) Will the fee ever increase? Pints f Cntact The service fee shall increase r decrease in accrdance with changes in the Cnsumer Price Index, all urban cnsumers, all items, unadjusted (1967=100) as published by U.S. Department f Labr, Bureau f Labr Statistics, annually beginning January 2019 n a calendar year basis. 1) Judge/Executive Harry L. Berry, 270-765-2350 2) Deputy Judge/Executive Daniel Lndn, dlndn@hcky.rg r 270-765-2350 3) Emergency Services Directr Bryce Shumate, bshumate@hcky.rg r 270-765-2350