Proposed 911 Fee Has Loophole

The city of Santa Cruz (N. Calif.) is counting on its residents to pass Measure T, which imposes a monthly fee on landline and wireless telephones, raising $1.3 million a year. The city’s previous 911 surcharge was considered unconstitutional after a court ruled on a similar fee in another city earlier this year. But a key element of the Measure T–$3.49 per month per line–is that the revenue goes to the city’s general fund, and not to a public safety fund or other dedicated budget category that insures its use for public safety communications. Critics say the fee is simply a backdoor way to increases taxes, and won’t necessarily benefit public safety. The city contracts with the Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Dispatch Center for its dispatching services. Read a Web site in support of Measure T here, download (pdf) city-posted information on the measure here, and the city’s official information on Measure T here.