Frequently Asked Questions about South Sound 911:
How many agencies are participating?
At least 40 fire and police agencies will get new radios. See the chart here for a list of agencies that benefit. Note: The City of Fife, which provides police dispatch for Fife, Milton, Eatonville and Normandy Park, just voted to authorize its city manager to negotiate the city’s participation in South Sound 911.
What happens to the employees of the current dispatch centers?
We plan to hire staff from each participating dispatch center. Being a 911 dispatcher is a very difficult job: it’s a 24/7 operation with a high degree of stress. The fact we have so many experienced dispatchers working around Pierce County will be a benefit to the regional agency. Eventually, we foresee reducing staff through attrition once the system is fully functional and economies of scale are being achieved.
Opponents say this will allow “Pierce County to use your tax money for any purpose, with no restrictions or accountability.” Is this true?
No. A state law, RCW 82.14.420 expressly directs that sales taxes approved for emergency communications shall be “used solely for the purpose of providing funds for costs associated with financing, design, acquisition, construction, equipping, operating, maintaining, remodeling, repairing, reequipping, and improvement of emergency communication systems and facilities infrastructure.” This directive is included in the explanatory statement in the Official Voters’ Pamphlet.
Opponents are claiming this is an “open-ended, endless tax” that will never go away. Is this true?
No. The County Council added a “sunset clause” so that the sales tax expires in 25 years, after the construction bonds are paid off. Under the state law referenced above, a sales tax for emergency communications must be approved by voters. So a future County Council would have to send it to the ballot again to renew the tax.
Opponents claim in the voter guide that there are “undisclosed additional taxes,” including “another new tax for every 911 call.” Is this true?
No. This statement seems designed to confuse people into believing there will be a per-call fee for anyone who calls 911. There is only one new tax in this proposal: the one-tenth of 1 percent increase in the sales tax. The rest of the proposal coordinates the expenditure of existing revenue sources so that we can build a seamless communications system.
Why is this on the ballot now, especially when the economy is still in rough shape?
There’s never a good time to ask for a tax increase. But we have to do this now. The Federal Communication Commission’s “narrowbanding” mandate takes effect in January 2013. There’s no hope for a delay because Congress intends to sell the newly available frequencies, which generates revenue for the federal government. Our 1,800-square-mile county is just too big for us to accommodate this with existing resources, especially given the extraordinary expense of radio equipment and the amount needed. This investment of 1/10 of 1% – one penny for every $10 – will guarantee better public safety for every resident of the county.
How will this affect response times?
First responders strongly believe this will improve response times throughout Pierce County. This should happen for two key reasons. 1) Consolidating dispatch centers means fewer transferred calls. 2) Having first responders on the same radio network will dramatically improve their ability to communicate directly with each other in the field, reducing or eliminating the need to use dispatch centers to “patch” connections between agencies. In just one recent example, a bank robber got away during a chase through four jurisdictions because the officers could not communicate directly with each other.
How will this help a city like Puyallup, which has made significant investments in its emergency communications system?
The Inter-Local Agreement that governs this proposal specifically notes that every participating agency has made investments in current systems. Puyallup is to be commended for its work so far in building a radio and dispatch system. But it’s a long way from complete. Puyallup “rides” the City of Tacoma’s system, and Tacoma is preparing to make a major upgrade in the next few years (sooner, if South Sound 911 is approved). Early estimates are that it will cost Puyallup approximately $8 million to make the necessary upgrades to stay connected to Tacoma’s system. It could cost even more if Puyallup wanted to go its own way. Additionally, the Puyallup City Council has determined the city’s existing dispatch center is inadequate and needs to be replaced. South Sound 911 will help the citizens of Puyallup with the radio upgrades as well as provide a new state of the art dispatch center. That benefits all citizens of Pierce County because it ensures a consistent, reliable network. Plus, the citizens of Puyallup leave the city’s boundaries to work or play. South Sound 911 looks ahead and ensures that future purchases are coordinates so that all first responders and dispatchers are operating on one seamless network.
Opponents say this is the big county government taking over. Is this true?
No. As the Proposed System page shows, South Sound 911 would not be a county department. The agency would be governed by elected officials from participating jurisdictions and managed by first responder agencies throughout the county. This is not a Pierce County government issue – this is a Pierce County issue.
Opponents say this proposal “comes with undisclosed per-911 call fees which will be charged to each of our cities.” Is this true?
Cities currently pay 9-1-1 fees to dispatch agencies, including the Law Enforcement Support Agency (LESA), Tacoma Fire Communications, West Pierce Fire Communications. For example, the City of Puyallup pays for fire dispatch service from Tacoma, while Sumner and Bonney Lake pay Puyallup for police dispatch. After paying for building construction and radios, there would be enough tax revenue to cover an estimated 20 percent of South Sound 911′s operating budget. As a result, the South Sound 911 proposal clearly states that participating jurisdictions will continue to pay fees, although it’s likely the fees will be reduced due to economies of scale brought by having so many agencies working in partnership.
I already get taxed on my phone bill. Why isn’t that enough?
There are two parts to the phone tax. There is a 50-cent fee that was established in the early 1980s. It has never been increased and until January of this year it did not apply to cell phones. This tax is used to fund and support 9-1-1 phone systems only. It does not apply to dispatch service, so it cannot be used for radios and dispatch service. This tax will continue to fund 9-1-1 call receiving and phone networks.
In January of this year, an additional 20 cents was added to this fee, per state law. This money is specifically dedicated for upgrading 9-1-1 phone systems with Next Generation 9-1-1 technology, which allows dispatch centers to receive text, picture and video messaging. Under South Sound 911, this money will continue to be dedicated to these Next Generation 9-1-1 upgrades.
Why hasn’t grant money been used?
Grant money has been sought whenever possible by every jurisdiction within Pierce County. In general, grants are difficult to qualify for, very competitive and unpredictable. Here are common limitations:
Opponents say this just a “Pierce County problem,” is this true?
No. It’s true that Pierce County has to meet federal narrowbanding mandates by 2013, but so does nearly every local fire department in the county. However, there are more problems being addressed by South Sound 911.
Why do the new dispatch centers cost so much?
Since 9/11, the federal standards for dispatch centers have changed dramatically. 9-1-1 dispatch centers fall into the category of critical infrastructure and have to be built to higher standards of protection and redundancy. Dispatch centers can’t be built in flood zones or flight paths. They can’t be located near freeways or railways where a hazardous materials accident could force them to shut down. Windows must be made of bulletproof glass and the building has to be resistant to explosives. Redundant electrical feeds and phone lines need to be brought into the building at separate locations. These are just some of the unique features of modern communications centers. In addition to the building requirements, dispatch centers are high-tech facilities with extensive computer systems, computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems and massive battery and generator backup systems.
Why should we build two dispatch centers?
The 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Task Force spent nearly two years analyzing this question. This task force consisted of police, fire and dispatch agencies throughout Pierce County. Their final report, presented in May 2009, recommended a two-PSAP model as the best solution for Pierce County. The South Sound steering committee reviewed that report as well as a study by the Law Enforcement Support Agency (LESA) that recommended a single dispatch facility for police and fire (though it had no input from police, fire or dispatch agencies). The South Sound 911 steering committee agreed with the recommendations of the task force. With the natural disaster risks that exist within the region and the lessons learned from 9/11, having seamless redundancy between two geographically separated facilities is a key priority for South Sound 911.
