Survey Finds Fewer States Diverting 911 Funds

An annual survey of states required by Congress has found that fewer states are now diverting the fees they collect for 911 services, and that spending has increased 24% over the past five years, now totaling $2.3 billion. Just four states told the General Accounting Office (GAO) they had used 911 surcharges and fees for non-911 purposes during 2012, the latest reporting period. That’s down from a high of 10 states reported by the survey in 2010. Several states still don’t track how they use 911 funds, and many did not provide answers to some of the latest survey questions. Arkansas was the only state that didn’t respond at all. States collect 911 fees either on a state (19), local (10) or state-local (22) basis, according to the survey, and total fees ranged from $2.0 million in Nevada to $212.8 million in Texas. The survey found that Illinois, Kansas, New York and Rhode Island diverted about $48.4 million of their 911 funds, or two percent of the national total. Most of these funds was used for “emergency first responder” programs, but still unrelated to 911. Among those states, Kansas reported that it investigated 21 expenditures of local funds, and found eight that required reimbursement by cities and towns because they weren’t 911-related. On the other hand, Rhode Island diverted 76% of its $16.5 million in 911 fees to other purposes. The survey now asks questions about NG911 spending, finding that eight states are making progress on the new technology. Kentucky led the list with $1.5 billion committed to creating a state-wide NG911 network. Download (pdf) the full report here.