LISBON — County 911 officials continue to look at public-safety answering point (PSAP) consolidation for the county, but funding it could be costly.

Members of the 911 Emergency Service Committee held their quarterly meeting Thursday at the county EMA building, a meeting which included Steve Haberman and Stacy Banker who joined the meeting online from Chicago. Both are from Mission Critical Partners LLC, the company hired to study the idea of consolidating the PSAPs.

Haberman said they had met both virtually and visited in person at the county’s current 911 locations. They are continuing to collect data. Some of the things being considered is the budgets of the current operations 95 percent of which is personnel and benefits, the numbers of calls handled, the current equipment and what radio equipment will be needed to make it work.

Additionally, Haberman said after looking at the locations of the current 911 centers, none of them have the potential for expansion. It is being projected there will need to be at least six 911 dispatch operators at their stations at any one time. The current locations do not have room for that. In addition to the six or more dispatchers per shift, there will need to be a supervisor.

Checklists of questions were sent out, but only one of the county’s five 911 centers has sent a reply with the needed information. The representatives from Mission Critical Partners LLC also want to meet with as many of the fire chiefs as possible at an upcoming meeting. Fire departments, police departments and ambulances would be dispatched from the consolidated center and they are seeking input from all of them.

While Mission Critical Partners LLC plans to complete their study and provide a report by the end of the year, the members of the 911 ESC also have turned their attention to how to fund the consolidation.

Peggy Clark, Emergency Management Agency Director, said with all the staffing, supervisors and technology needed, the consolidation is estimated to cost at least $4 million annually.

“Funding is a big issue,” said County Commissioner Tim Weigle. “How are we going to build it, put in the equipment and staff it.”

State Sen. Michael Rulli was invited to the meeting and asked about potential funding sources, including sustainable ones that can keep the proposed county-wide 911 center going year after year.

Weigle pointed out the idea of having to raise property taxes to pay for the county 911 consolidation would be hard to swallow for anyone in public office to propose and for residents of the county. He estimates property taxes would have to be raised by 1.95 mill to bring in the $4 million per year, which would increase the property taxes on a $50,000 home by $97.50 per year and a $100,000 home by $195 annually.

However, Clark said she believes the answer lies in cell phone fees. Currently, each cell phone in Ohio has a 25 cents fee, which is supposed to go toward 911, but that does not seem to be generating much or any money at the local level, possibly going instead toward statewide 911 initiatives. Clark notes Ohio ranks 48th out of 50 states in the amount of wireless phone 911 fees. Pennsylvania is at $1.65 per phone, while Michigan is more than $2 and West Virginia more than $3.

The local 911 received exactly $210,417 from the state from wireless phones each year from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Jeremiah Cole, the Highlandtown fire chief, noted there is no way the number of cell phones in the county has not changed or increased over those years.

Clark and Brian Rutledge, the deputy director of the EMA, talked about upcoming legislation, including a state bill currently in committee that would leave the rate in Ohio at 25 cents. Additionally, it was noted that tablets, computers and other devices that make calls through the internet do not generate the wireless phone fees, but someone can still use them to dial 911.

When it comes to funding, Rulli pointed out several sources available, but many of them would be most useful for helping them get set up with a consolidated county 911 facility. There are fewer options for helping them to continuously fund it down the road. He offered to continue the dialogue with them and look at how money for the project could be requested through state budgets and other sources.

If the consolidation initiative is going to happen, it would require a vote of all 26 entities around the county — both the townships and municipalities — with 65 percent voting in favor of consolidation. It was noted while four of the 911 centers seem in favor of consolidation, East Palestine does not.

While some communities currently have their own dispatchers for their police, fire and first responder departments, others contract with another entity or utilize the county sheriff’s system. The amount of those small entity contracts is not believed to come close to covering the proposed countywide 911 system.

Even without consolidation, Clark talked about the increasing costs of operating 911, including new equipment to allow for text to 911 and the ability to be able to communication by video to 911 which is expected to be coming down the road.

In another matter, it was reported the Crisis Intervention Team recently held a training with dispatchers about handling calls when someone is in crisis and making threats to harm themselves or someone else. Rutledge noted in July of 2022 a nationwide 988 suicide hotline is planned and Clark noted details still need to be worked out regarding liability for dispatchers if only a counselor is brought into the call, but the person needs police, fire or EMS later.