Politics & Government

Duluth Considers Implementing Its Own 911 Service

Duluth City Council to revisit issue in July or August after obtaining better cost, revenue figures.

The Duluth City Council is considering purchasing equipment, training personnel and operating its own 911 emergency call center starting in January 2012, but is waiting for additional cost and revenue figures before deciding to implement it.

Gwinnett County currently handles 911 police, fire and ambulance calls for the city. The council had requested the city’s assuming responsibility for the service be researched to improve response time. The possibility was discussed at the city council’s March 28 work session.

Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher reported that “in some cases, it would decrease the amount of lag time between the county (and the city).” Emergency calls to the Duluth Police Department would become direct. The city would have to relay fire and ambulance calls to Gwinnett Fire/ES, which provides these services to the city and would continue to do so. This would be the reverse of what occurs now. Belcher said a city 911 service would improve police response time, but might degrade fire and ambulance response time. 

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“Our city dispatchers know the city limits better and would be able to direct them” to fires and emergency scenes, Councilman Doug Mundrick said. 

Belcher presented figures that estimated the cost of the city’s implementing its own 911 service at $172,610. An additional $80,000 would be required to hire two more personnel if necessary, he said. 

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Projected annual revenue would be $264,773, the chief said. The revenue figure is based on 2009 figures for telephone landlines obtained from AT&T. It does not include cell phones, which would increase the amount. Customers with landlines pay AT&T a fee of $1.50 a month for emergency service. The money collected is passed on to the 911 service provider minus AT&T charges for maintenance and other fees. Cell phone users pay $1 a month to their service providers. Belcher said that all the revenue must be used for the 911 service. It cannot be used for other purposes.

If the city collects six months worth of fees while the county continues to provide the service, the initial startup cost would be reduced to only $40,223, the chief said. The city would install the equipment needed to operate the system during the six-month period. The equipment the city proposes to buy, Belcher said, is the same as that being used by Gwinnett County and purchased by the City of Lawrenceville for its 911 system.

Councilwoman Marsha Bomar said that more recent figures than 2009 for landlines as well as cell phone figures were needed to accurately calculate projected revenue. Also, government lines that are exempt from 911 fees may have been counted in the figures provided. 

Belcher agreed. “Before we went this route, we need to know exact figures,” he said. Councilman Greg Whitlock said he would like more information on the number of personnel required to operate the 911 system. “Let Lawrenceville run for six months” and see how its city-operated 911 service performs, Mundrick said. Bomar suggested revisiting the issue in July or August after the city obtains better figures and feedback from Lawrenceville.

The Duluth Council would have to pass a resolution establishing a city-operated 911 service before it could be implemented. City Attorney Lee Thompson informed the council that state law requires a mandatory wait period before the city can start receiving funds.


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