Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office DRAFT

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager Casey Liebst, Budget Manager
FROM:	Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager
CC:	Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager
DATE:	October 16, 2007
RE:	Emergency Telephone Services Tax

K.S.A. 12-5302 authorizes governing bodies to establish an Emergency Telephone Services Tax, not to exceed $0.75 per month per line, to pay for any or all of the following: (1) the monthly, recurring charges billed by the service supplier for the emergency telephone service; (2) initial installation, service establishment; nonrecurring start-up charges billed by the service supplier for the emergency telephone service; (3) charges for capital improvements or equipment or other physical enhancements to the emergency telephone system; or (4) the acquisition and installation of road signs designed to aid in the delivery of emergency service. The fee is collected by telephone service providers and is remitted to the County (minus a 2% administrative fee) on a quarterly basis.

Douglas County set this user fee at $0.75, and the 2007 budget projects receipts of $375,000 from the fee. Revenue from this fee is used to pay for purchase and maintenance of computer and telephone equipment for the emergency telephone system.

K.S.A. 12-5324 created a wireless enhanced 911 grant fee in the amount of $0.25 per month per wireless subscriber account. The fee is collected by wireless carriers and is remitted to the State of Kansas and placed in a grant fund. Douglas County is budgeted to receive $120,000 from this fund in 2007. Revenues are used for the purchase and maintenance of equipment required for wireless enhanced 911 service.

Please see the attached Emergency Telephone Services and Emergency Cell Phone Services pages from the 2007 Douglas County budget for a breakdown of expenditures from these revenue sources.