HUNTINGDON - Telephone subscribers in Carroll County may experience a rate increase in their monthly 9-1-1 service fee that is part of the monthly telephone bill. Members of the Carroll County Emergency Communication District (9-1-1 board) voted Thursday to increase the rate for residential customers by 85 cents and commercial by $1.00 to help fund the proposed central dispatching operation in Carroll County. If approved, 9-1-1 fees will be $1.50 for residential and $3.00 for commercial, the maximum allowable rate in Tennessee. Cell phone rates would remain at $1.00 monthly.

Presently, the monthly rate is 65 cents for residential lines and $2.00 for commercial. The increase is contingent on approval by the Tennessee Emergency Communication Board, and the acceptance of related local parties to implement central dispatching. Two public hearings must also be held before final approval of the rate increases. A total of $147,933 would be generated from the rate increases on 7,638 residential and 1,796 commercial lines.

"I'm for this 100 percent. I'm for consolidating dispatching because it is going to be a more efficient system, said Doug Pruitt, a 9-1-1 board member and Huntingdon firefighter.

Board member Larry Wade said the additional $18 annually is "a pretty cheap price to pay for what I would classify as an increase in response time."

Central dispatching would consolidate all emergency dispatching to one location in the county, possibly to a new building behind the 9-1-1 office, 101 Dillahunty Lane, located across from Baptist Memorial Hospital- Huntingdon.

Central dispatching would help the county receive better fire insurance ratings, known as ISO, which would lower the cost of homeowners insurance in the rural areas. ISO is based on a rating of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best and 10 considered no fire services.

Beth Sisson said central dispatch would not improve McKenzie's rating of 3, according to the McKenzie fire chief. Huntingdon Fire Department has a rating of 5 and the county has a rating of 9.

Three dispatch centers are presently operated around the clock in the county. The city of McKenzie, town of Huntingdon, and county of Carroll each operate dispatch centers. McKenzie and Huntingdon dispatch from their respective city halls. The county dispatches from the sheriff's department for the sheriff, rural fire departments, rescue squad, hazardous materials team, first responders, ambulance, and police for the other municipalities' police departments. All 9-1-1 calls are routed to the sheriff's dispatcher and transferred as needed to the emergency responders in the respective cities. Currently, one dispatcher mans each of the three locations.

Tressia Barksdale, 9-1-1 director, said central dispatching services would eliminate the transfer of 9-1-1 calls from the sheriff's dispatcher to other dispatchers. Currently, only the first dispatcher, at the sheriff's department, receives all the electronic data concerning location and callback number. Transferred calls are sometimes lost or dropped, said Barksdale. Consolidated operations would eliminate call transfer and also allow dispatchers to provide callers with pre-arrival first-aid instructions in the case of medical emergencies.

Board members Jimmy Kee, Buddy McClain, and Beth Sisson questioned the wisdom of raising the rate to the maximum allowable and allocating all new revenues for the operation of the central dispatch center. The three expressed concern that the 9-1-1 board would be limited to current revenues without the option of increasing the rates to boost operational revenues. McClain said many residents are dropping their landline phones, opting for cell phones, which could create future budgetary crunches for 9-1-1. Kee said the rate increase could actually discourage people from having a landline phone.

To implement central dispatching, Chairman John Mann said the developers of the plan requested rates be maximized and all funds go to the project.

Questions of operational liability, management, and operating costs arose. Board member Billy J. Smith said the county would operate the facility under the control of a governing board, which would include representation from the 9-1-1 board. The board's funding would be limited to the amount generated by new revenues, said Smith.

An estimated total annual operating budget of $451,162 would be necessary to operate the dispatch center and staff it. Two funding options were presented. The first calls for municipal and county funding without the proposed additional 9-1-1 funds. The county would pay $228,072.48(50.5%), McKenzie $80,875 (17.93%), Huntingdon $66,426 (14.72%), Bruceton $23,735 (5.26%), Atwood $15,273 (3.39%), Trezevant $13,760(3.05%), and McLemoresville $3,955(.88%).

The second plan would leave 9-1-1, the county, and McKenzie and Huntingdon (two of the eight municipalities) to fund the project. The county would fund $155,929, 9-1-1 would pay $147,933, McKenzie would pay $80,875; and Huntingdon $66,425. Compared to the current budget, the county would save $62,292 annually, McKenzie $65,633, and Huntingdon $36,548.

Smith questioned why the county did not locate the dispatch center at the Sheriff's Department, where an office was built 10 years ago for that very purpose. "We've got a central dispatch building. I don't know why we don't use it and build something for the Highway Patrol," said Smith. The office area was constructed during a previous failed attempt to implement central dispatching.

On a motion by Smith, the board voted five to two in favor of raising the rates and allocating the new revenues to central dispatching, subject to the Tennessee ECB and all local parties' approval. Voting in favor of the motion were Jimmy Kee, Buddy McClain, John Mann, Doug Pruitt, Billy Smith, Larry Wade, and Danny Brawner. Voting "no" were Larry Elliott and Beth Sisson.