Phone bills across East Baton Rouge Parish will soon increase to fund upgrades to the parishwide 911 system, but not everyone thinks the funding increase is needed.
The parish Communications District Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday afternoon to approve rate increases that will generate an estimated $2.2 million annually for new employees and maintenance and upgrades of the 911 system, communications district Director Jim Verlander said.
Residential landlines will see a $4.32 annual increase, business landlines will see a $5.88 annual increase and cellular lines will see a $4.80 increase. Under the old rate, residential landlines pay $7.56 annually, business landlines pay $18 annually and cellular lines pay $10.20 annually.
The 5-1 vote in favor was made in spite of concerns about a $6 million rainy day fund the communications district already holds.
Louisiana state law that governs fees for 911 services stipulates that a communications district shall either reduce its service charge rate or suspend it altogether if the revenue generated by a fee exceeds the amount of money needed to fund the district.
Baton Rouge Police Department Deputy Chief Myron Daniels was the lone vote against the fee over concerns the district is violating the statute by raising the fee instead of dipping into the fund, he said.
"We have a surplus ... and at no point have we ever decreased the fee," Daniels said. "Either somebody dropped the ball on the back end, or we may be making a mistake now."
The rainy day fund is part of the normal operations of the district and needs to remain intact in the event of future disasters, Verlander argued.
At its old rate, the fee brings in just over $6 million annually for the district, according to the district's budget. The district projects to spend all but $32,631 of its annual revenue in 2023, according to the budget.
At the end of 2021, the rainy day fund was just under $9 million. It is projected to be just over $6 million at the end of this year, according to the budget.
Other members of the board voiced hesitation over increasing the fee despite the large fund but voted in favor after receiving guarantees that further discussions would follow about how the increased revenue will be spent.
The district's budget requires annual approval by the board, a time at which board members said they could ensure the fee revenue isn't being wasted.
After a lengthy discussion, Central Mayor Wade Evans motioned that the fee be approved "with the caveat that we’re going to scrutinize this budget until everyone feels comfortable going forward."
Verlander emphasized how complicated the 911 system is when routing an emergency call to the correct dispatch based on the caller's location. Dispatchers then use computer systems to input information and send it to the agency that will be responding to the emergency, Verlander said.
That system has become more complicated and expensive since the last time the 911 fee was increased in 2005, Verlander said. New emergency notification technologies in cars, cellphones and smart watches require the communications district to upgrade its systems to be ready to receive that information, Verlander said. Some of the district's technology is four years past its end-of-life date, Verlander said.
The volume of 911 calls in East Baton Rouge Parish also increased by 62% from 2019 through 2022, Verlander said.
"These are people that are drastically needed," Verlander told the board. "This is equipment that is drastically needed."
The district also has been taking steps to become more independent of the city-parish government, such as doing finances in-house, Verlander said. The moves will allow the district to be more efficient and follow national best practices, but also will require up to eight new employees, Verlander said.
The board is made up of seven members, including representatives from parish first responder agencies: Daniels, Evans, Baker Mayor Darnell Waites, Baton Rouge Fire Chief Michael Kimble, Emergency Management Services Director Michael Denicola, Sheriff Sid Gautreaux and Zachary Mayor David McDavid.
Gautreaux is chairman of the board and did not vote.
The fee appears on telephone carriers' monthly phone bills and is charged on a monthly basis. The fee increase could begin appearing on phone bills as soon as June, although it will take time to notify all phone carriers that operate in the parish, Verlander said.