Dedicating Fees to Boost 9-1-1 System Rests with GA Voters
ATLANTA — Georgia voters will decide this year on a constitutional amendment that would dedicate their 911 fees to a statewide fund for improving emergency services.
The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to put the 911 referendum on the ballot in November. The House previously approved the proposal.
The 911 fund could pay for cellphone technology that would allow Georgians to contact emergency services using voice, text, and data.
“Imagine you’re a first responder being able to see videos of what you’re rolling into, whether it be a terrible situation of an active shooter scene or a crime that just happened, or a firefighter rolling up on a hot fire situation,” said Rep. Chuck Martin, R- Alpharetta. “It makes the first responders safer and gives them the ability to react to the situation and get to the people that need help.”
If approved by voters, the 911 fee will remain the same as it is today, at $1.50 per month.
But instead of a local fee, the money would be used exclusively for expansion, maintenance, and operation of 911 services across Georgia, according to House Resolution 1243.
Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones, D- Augusta, said the fee could help improve emergency response times.
“We hear many stories: They call 911, a person may not answer. It’s not quite up to the quality level. This is what we’re hoping to actually change,” Jones said.
This article is available through a partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Association's nonprofit, tax-exempt Educational Foundation.
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