News photo by Josh Jambor Pictured is Alpena County Central Dispatcher Jonathan Sanchez working at his desk on Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, Alpena County voters will vote to renew the $3 surcharge.

ALPENA – Alpena County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide the future of 911 emergency services funding, weighing a six-year renewal of the existing $3 monthly surcharge on phone bills. That tax raises between $900,000 to $970,000 annually.

The surcharge will be placed on each individual phone line, as it is now.

The ballot language asks whether the county should continue assessing up to $3 per month on landline, wireless, and VOIP services from January 2027 through December 2032, with proceeds dedicated exclusively to operating Alpena County Central Dispatch, including facilities, utilities, equipment, employee benefits and salaries.

Alpena County 911 Director Kim Elkie explained the surcharge renewal and what devices the charge will be applied to.

“Anything that has a phone number is included because the phone companies are responsible through the state for collecting the surcharge,” Elkie said. “The $3 charge per device is a renewal, it is not an increase, even though wages, benefits, technologies, and all of our costs have gone up.”

Elkie explained that the funds provided from the surcharge are vital in paying the wages of 911 staff and other operational costs. The county does not provide any general fund money for the costs associated with 911 operations.

“These funds are essential, as far as our operations, dispatcher wages, and benefits, that is all paid for solely from the surcharge,” Elkie explained. “We do not receive any general fund dollars from the county.”

“It is not an unusual situation for 911 to not receive county funds,” Elkie added.

Alpena County Central Dispatch received its first 911 call on April 1, 1994. Prior to that time the county voters approved a surcharge and a millage to get that operation up and off the ground so that 911 services would be available in Alpena County.

In time the millage expired, and central dispatch has been solely funded by the surcharge ever since.

“I believe it is important for the voters to understand that this is how it’s always been funded,” Elkie said. “This is what the voters chose to do, to put all our eggs in one basket with the surcharge, but without it, we have a funding gap.”

“The surcharge funds our operations, plain and simple, it pays for raises and benefits for our staff, technology, the cost of doing business, and all our utilities,” Elkie added.

Elkie explained the first time she heard one of her fellow dispatchers give CPR instructions, a memory she will never forget.

“I will never forget the first time I sat at my desk and listened to one of our dispatchers give CPR instructions to a family member, the hair on my arms stands up every time I tell the story,” Elkie said. “We hold ourselves to very high standards, our dispatchers are all required to achieve and maintain certification as an emergency medical dispatcher, that is not a state requirement.”

The average ring time for Alpena County Central Dispatch in 2025 was 2.6 seconds across all types of phone calls. That includes situations where they received above average phone calls related to one particular issue.

If the surcharge is not renewed Elkie said that Alpena County commissioners would make the decision regarding what would happen to the Alpena County Dispatch Center.

“It would be the county commissioner’s decision to decide what would happen if the surcharge vote failed,” Elkie said. “There are several different things that could be done, but that would be the commissioner’s decision, and regardless of what they decide, any of the options would impact services.”

With the vote coming up on Tuesday, Elkie stressed some important details she is hoping that voters will consider prior to voting.

“The key things that I would repeat is that this is a renewal, this is not an increase, funds have restricted uses and can only be used for 911, and we have proven that we abide by that with our successful audit history,” Elkie said. “One important point is that we come in under budget every year, we pinch our pennies until they bleed.”

“911 really provides the strong foundation for the county’s emergency services program, you call us, and we send whoever you need, you do not have to call for an ambulance then call for law enforcement,” Elkie added.