ALPENA — Voters in Alpena County will decide if they want to continue paying up to $3 on their telephone lines to help finance 911 operations.

The Alpena County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for a special election in May to request voters’ approval of the surcharge.

Residents currently pay the $3 surcharge each month on each cell line and landline, which can generate between $900,000 and $1 million a year, according to Hall.

A special election will cost the county about $20,000, county Clerk Bonnie Friedrichs said, and each township and the City of Alpena will have to pay their own costs for election workers, postage, and other expenses.

Confusion between the state and the county caused the county to miss an opportunity to vote on the proposal last year, according to Friedrichs.

Residents would pay the surcharge on top of a four-year property tax for ambulance services approved last year. The county’s 911 service receives a third of the property tax revenue for large upgrades to the 911 system.

The surcharge would remain in place for five years.

County Emergency Services Coordinator/911 Director Mark Hall said the surcharge funds operations for 911, including salaries, technology, and other needs, beyond the upgrades funded by the ambulance millage.

“Normally, the money from the surcharge would be enough to fund 911 entirely,” Hall said. “The recent upgrade to the ambulance millage allows us to upgrade our computers, maintain phone systems, and continue radio upgrades. That money is used to bring the 911 up to 2021 standards. We should be in good shape if the taxpayers approve the surcharge.”

Hall said a highly trained and cohesive dispatch system — with the latest technology — is critical when responding to emergencies, when every second counts.

If the surcharge request fails, the county may need to allocate money to help cover the cost of operations, Hall said.

“It would be devastating,” Hall said. “The board would have to figure out a solution if it fails. I think it would have a significant effect on how the 911 center functions.”

The county is staring at a nearly $1 million budget deficit this fiscal year, a figure that could rise again in 2022.