Revenue from 911 Calls Decreasing

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly received a presentation on the borough’s budgeting process at its regular meeting last week, and one emergency service isn’t bringing in as much money as it had in previous years.

New borough finance director, Dora Cross, said the 911 service is funded by a levy on individual landlines with Kodiak addresses – that’s house and office phones as opposed to cell phones.

Cross said the rate is 75 cents per line, and the revenue from that is continuing to go down. Assemblyman Dan Rohrer brought up the transition to cell phones.

“Has there ever been any discussion about including a 75 cent charge on cell phones because, obviously, people are transitioning to cell phones as their primary phone usage, and 911 services are available on your cell phone.”

Cross said she recently spoke with the Kodiak chief of police on that topic.

“There was an MOA that was brought up or tried to work on with the city, I think in 2004, but I don’t think that got any traction. Although the borough has powers of collection, like the city determines its own mill rate, they determine what the levee would be for that fee on 911 services.”

She said she doesn’t know who discontinued the process, but it’s been discussed before. Mayor Jerrol Friend said the question has been up in the air for many years and asked Cross to look into the matter and come back with more information.