Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911 Where We Are and Where We Want to Be Date November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911 Where we are Background Progress to date Where we want to be Overview Full funding Elements of a reform bill Decision points November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Are BACKGROUND Act 78 of 1990, the Public Safety Emergency Telephone Act Planning processes, funding stream based on surcharges County call-taking centers/PSAPs Capture of location information Asked for mandate Prior to 1990, 911 was municipal responsibility – fragmented, virtually non-existent Set in place planning processes and lines of authority between counties and PEMA Funding stream based on telephone subscriber surcharges Calls arrive at call-taking centers – dispatch emergency response Automatic systems provide location of call’s origin regardless of medium November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Are BACKGROUND Services expand Technology evolves Next Generation pressures Funding lags Didn’t anticipate: Dispatch Communications Bag phones, VoIP Equipment obsolescence Intervening years: Added wireless, VoIP, pre-paid Continual cycle of updating or replacing call-taking and dispatch equipment All that together produced funding lags Bottom line: Patchwork law, inadequate funding November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Are PROGRESS TO DATE LBFC study Act 9 of 2013, carry-forward PEMA and stakeholder negotiations House and Senate hearings Act 84 of 2014, sunset extension Legislative work group LBFC: May 2012 24 findings and recommendations Excellent study Tragic first line: “Pennsylvania has relatively high 911 surcharge rates” Study and Act 9: jump start to moving ahead Act 9 – ends carryover costs for PSAPs beyond FY 2013-2014, incentives for technological regionalization and voluntary consolidation Top priority for this year Act 84 – extends the wireless surcharge fee for another year (until 6/30/15) to allow more time to complete full reform legislation Was not completed in 2014 due to one point: FEE – Nature and Rate November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Want to Be OVERVIEW Our 911 is among the best We are efficient, can be more so Technology: Match and anticipate Local discretion Full funding Blow your horn: 911 virtually non-existent before counties took it on, within 5 years developed systems statewide Have delivered best-in-the-nation: Almost complete E-911 coverage, Phase 2 enhanced But we are not extravagant – costs driven by technology needs, equipment wear and tear & obsolescence Fewest PSAPs per capita among large states Commitment to moving toward Next Generation 911 Did it all on a fee that has not changed since 1990 – almost 1/4 century More efficient: PSAPs Technology: NG911; text, video, dispatch Local: counties built, counties need to keep local discretion Funding: detail next November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Want to Be FULL FUNDING Legislative intent Inflation: LBFC analysis Added services, technology change Ineligible costs NG911 anticipation Intent of original law was to fully fund counties’ eligible 911 costs from the fees Presumed initial capital cost by counties, with funds then used for system operation and periodic equipment replacement Based on the LBFC study, if adjusted solely for inflation, rate should be $1.72 today; PUC says $3.79 Inflation: that alone justifies an increase, but counties also had added services, technology upgrades and new technologies Counties already absorb ineligible costs: bricks/mortar, communications, part of personnel NG911: the great unknown The change in technological landscape alone dramatically altered ability of funding structure to meet county needs Now costs increasingly require local property tax dollars to backfill shortfall in subscriber fees November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Want to Be ELEMENTS OF A REFORM BILL Technology neutral System efficiencies Unified planning and administration Full funding, formula based No particular order, all are critical Technology-neutral – allow counties to develop systems meeting current and future needs System efficiencies Removal of outdated statutory provisions Incentives for consolidation of core system functions Unified planning Draft consolidates three separate elements – wireline, wireless, VoIP – into unified system for planning, funding, auditing Consolidates funding streams currently collected and remitted to counties in different ways into single statewide system Full funding Will reach crisis proportions if action delayed past 6/30/2015 sunset of wireless surcharge November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Where We Want to Be DECISION POINTS Silo consolidation System efficiencies Funding: Sources and coverage Funding: Rates and sufficiency Funding: Distribution Jurisdictional and governance Silo: Consolidate funding, planning, audits, administrative structure Efficiencies: Broadband backbone, fewer switches, functional consolidation, system redundancy (backup) Funding Sources: subscriber/broadband; flat/percent Funding Rates: Counties support increase in fee sufficient to cover 911 operating and capital costs ($2.00/COLA) Must at minimum cover inflation, recognize technology expansion, include inflator KNOW YOUR NUMBERS – number of calls, full system costs, ineligible costs the county absorbs, funding shortfall, changing rate of property tax back-fill Funding Distribution: Formula with regular periodic payments, improve county ability to budget and plan, prevent arbitrary reallocation of funds by state, serves as a limit we have to live within (unlike competitive grants) Formula keyed to local conditions, targets proportionate distribution based on those factors Jurisdiction: PEMA, 911 Board, Counties November 25, 2014

Douglas E. Hill, Executive Director 911: Dialogue QUESTIONS? Name Contact November 25, 2014