The Campbell Reporter

News

Phone users can expect higher 911 fees

By Stephen Baxter

Hoping to recover millions of dollars in its emergency service programs, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 29 approved a new monthly fee for phone users of up to $1.01 per line.

The funds will be used to offset county-related emergency-preparedness expenses that impact all cities in Santa Clara County. The county could collect nearly $9.4 million annually, or about a quarter of its yearly spending on emergency communications and services.

Taxpayer groups have panned 911 fees, claiming they are essentially new taxes that require voter approval. A superior court ruling stated that Santa Cruz County could collect its 911 fee, according to Santa Clara County documents. This decision, however, may not set a precedent.

The Santa Clara County fee would be charged to land lines and cell phones, and businesses would face fees on high-capacity "trunk" lines of up to $10,000 annually. Phone customers in each city would pay fees from 20 cents to $1.01 based on the level of emergency service they receive from the county. Campbell phone users will pay up to 44 cents monthly per line.

According to the new law, San Jose phone users would pay 27 cents on top of the $1.75 monthly fee that the city collects. Cupertino users would pay 58 cents, Los Gatos users would pay 46 cents, Saratoga 56 cents, Sunnyvale 26 cents, and unincorporated Santa Clara County residents would pay $1.01.