Pa. Council Approves `Critical` 911 Study

Aug. 19--Bethlehem City Council on Tuesday approved hiring a consultant to study how the city should consolidate its 911 services, a move being forced over the next four years by a recent state law.

The study, which should be completed by January, will consider the pros and cons of merging with Northampton County 911 or creating a regional center that would serve Lehigh and Northampton counties, Allentown and Bethlehem, according to Mayor Robert Donchez.

It will also determine how much it would cost the city to run its own 911 system without state funding.

The study was prompted by a new state law that increased 911 fees as part of a larger overhaul and gives Allentown and Bethlehem -- the only two cities in the state that run their own 911 centers -- four years to regionalize. After four years, state funding for the Allentown and Bethlehem centers will dry up.

"This is a critical study," Councilman Eric Evans said. "It's an important process that will take place over the next couple of years. The time is ticking."

The $40,000 study is to be equally funded by Bethlehem, Allentown, and Northampton and Lehigh counties. Each is paying $9,750 toward the study to be conducted by MCM Consulting Group of Washington County.

The consultants are to come up with a strategic plan that analyzes the current and future communication systems' capabilities, facilities and staffing needs.

"We're going to look at the pros and cons of everything as we work toward a plan," Donchez said.

He said officials are already mulling possible locations for a regional center, one of them being the Wilson-Kramer Army Reserve Center in Bethlehem.

The study comes as the city- and county-run 911 systems have struggled to pay for operations with landline surcharges that have not been updated since 1990 and cellphone fees that haven't changed since 2008.

The Lehigh Valley's four dispatch centers reported a combined $284.5 million in 911 center expenses in 2013, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Total funding for those operations was about $178.8 million, a $105.7 million shortfall made up mostly through property taxes.

Bethlehem officials have attributed 80 percent of this year's 5.6 percent real estate tax hike to subsidizing the 911 system.

Copyright 2015 - The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)