Tariff Increase Is Requested

A proposal to increase the telephone tariff to support Sequoyah County 9-1-1 will be put to Sequoyah County commissioners at their regular meeting at 9 a.m. Monday.

The Sequoyah County 9-1-1 board of directors met at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss how to save the financially-floundering emergency service.

Dana Tracy, board president and who also serves as fire chief for Rural Fire Protection District No. 1 near Gore, said, "As a fire chief, 9-1-1 is invaluable to me. This is heavy on my heart because if we don't have 9-1-1 people are going to die. Our concern is for the people. This is a crisis."

The Sequoyah County 9-1-1 board, which also includes Charles "Chuck" Wyckoff and Larry Vinson, discussed several options.

They included:

*Asking the county commissioners to raise the telephone tariff from 50 cents, where it is now, to $1.50.

*Calling for a vote on a tariff on wireless or cell phones if Gov. Brad Henry signs current legislation, which has been passed by the House and Senate.

*Charging Southwest EMS ambulance service in Sallisaw for dispatching the service.

Wyckoff said the 9-1-1 service is losing between $2,000 and $2,400 a month. He said earlier the 9-1-1 service is dipping monthly into a mapping and addressing account to pay calltakers' salaries. That money was originally set aside for mapping and addressing to expedite emergency response, but the salaries are depleting those funds.

The 50-cent telephone tariff on residents' telephone bills for 9-1-1 services brings in about $8,000 a month, Wyckoff said, and $2,000 of that pays the telephone bill.

Wyckoff said the 9-1-1 service pays about $8,000 a month for salaries, "but we're spending $10,000" for salaries, equipment updates, and other costs.

Assistant District Attorney Jeff Sheridan said he researched the law and found the county commissioners can raise the telephone tariff to $1.50 maximum, but the money gained from that must be used for equipment only.

Sheridan said signs and signposts, which will be erected as the county is mapped and addressed, would be considered necessary equipment and could be paid for out of the increased tariff. Salaries can not be paid from the increased tariff, but the tariff could replenish the mapping and addressing account.

Vinson said, "I would like to ask the county commissioners to increase the telephone tariff to the maximum amount, with a yearly review to determine if the tariff needs to continue."

The board approved the proposal, and it was placed on the Monday commission meeting agenda.

County Commissioners Bruce Tabor, District 1, and Cleon Harrell, District 3, indicated they may support the increased tariff. District 2 Commissioner Steve Carter said after the meeting he wanted to see a complete accounting of fund before he would support a tariff increase.

"I have some concerns about it (the tariff)," Carter said. "I want to see more exact figures."

Alternative Plans

The 9-1-1 board also discussed a vote on levying a telephone tariff on cell phones after the governor signs a bill allowing that vote.

David Taylor, Muldrow town manager, noted that Sequoyah 9-1-1, which serves Muldrow, Roland and the east end of the county, is losing $500 to $600 a month because many residents have gone to cell phones only.

Sequoyah 9-1-1 is a separate service from Sequoyah County 9-1-1, and increased and additional telephone tariffs called for by Sequoyah County 9-1-1 will not have an effect on the east end. The Sequoyah 9-1-1 board must decide upon their own increased funding.

Wyckoff suggested a vote on the wireless or cell phone tariff be called for as soon as possible. "We have a state election on Sept. 13. If we have an election at the same time, we won't have to pay for the entire election," Wyckoff said.

He noted an election only on a cell phone tariff would cost the 9-1-1 service about $7,000, a cost which would be split with the state for the Sept. 13 election.

But he also noted that the Sept. 13 election is for a state fuel tax, which most believe will be defeated. He said it is feared that voters will against all proposals on the Sept. 13 ballot because of the fuel tax.

On the other hand, Wyckoff said, the 9-1-1 board has little choice because there is not enough money to pay for the election, and because the 9-1-1 system needs the money so badly.

"I don't know that we can hold off on this," Wyckoff said about the declining 9-1-1 funding.

Board members suggested that, if voters approve the cell phone tariff, that amount could be deducted later from the increased tariff is approved by the commissioners.

Tracy, as a volunteer firemen, said he believed the volunteer fire departments and other emergency service personnel would help support the cell phone tariff vote through advertisements and by going door-to-door.

The board put the vote on their meeting agenda next month for more discussion.

Maurice White, a manager with Southwest EMS, said the ambulance service cannot afford to pay for dispatch service, an alternative funding plan brought up by the 9-1-1 board.

White said mot ambulance services are subsidized by the municipalities or counties in which they are located. Southwest EMS is not. He said the ambulance service considers the dispatching supplied by 9-1-1 as a subsidy for the ambulance service.

White also said that the ambulance service is considering moving into the Vian-Gore area, and does not have the funds at the moment to pay for dispatching.

If 9-1-1 dispatching does not dispatch for the ambulance service, then all call for emergency ambulance service would have to go through the Southwest EMS office in Mena, Ark., which would delay emergency service, he said.

White told the 9-1-1 board that, with improving business, the ambulance service may consider paying for 9-1-1 dispatching in the future.

White said he would ask the ambulance service owner to attend the next 9-1-1 meeting to discuss funding further.

Request For Reimbursement

Tracy strongly criticized the Sequoyah County Excise Board and its president, Charles Sloan of Vian, for not funding 9-1-1 through the county budget. He invited the excise board members to come to a meeting of the 9-1-1 board to discuss the money problems, and said later he would be glad to attend an excise board meeting to discuss funding.

Tracy also read a letter from the excise board requesting the county be reimbursed for four months salary paid to 9-1-1 calltakers last year.

"We don't have the money to pay this," Tracy said, and the request was tabled.

The county excise board last week reduced a supplemental budget approved by the county commissioners by about $35,000.

The $86,000 supplemental budget approved by the commissioners was to fund county government through the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

At the commission budget meeting, Sloan said the excise board would most likely approve the supplemental budget, but was still concerned about the $28,000 owed the county for four months of 9-1-1 calltakers pay.

Commissioners were stunned when the excise board met the same day, May 23, and reduced the supplemental budget by about $30,000. At the same excise board meeting, the excise board members directed County Clerk Donna Jamison to write another letter requesting the calltakers' salary reimbursement.

The letter was received Thursday by the county commissioners and 9-1-1 board, and the 9-1-1 board reported they did not have enough money to make the reimbursement.

Earlier, Sloan has said the county must fund primary constitutional offices, such as the sheriff's, clerk's, treasurer's, and assessor's offices before sub-offices, such as the 9-1-1 service first. Law directs the excise board to do that, he has said.

About the supplemental budget, Sloan said the excise board looked at the listed needs, and decided the county only needed about $50,000 to get to the end of the fiscal year.

The commissioners have challenged the excise board on their decision, and say the law requires the supplemental budget be published three times before the excise board even votes on the budget.

After Thursday's meeting, Tracy asked that "petty differences" be put aside and that all work together for the health and safety of county residents.

"I feel strongly, passionately, about 9-1-1," Tracy said. "We have to protect the people. There's a happy medium here, and we're going to find it."