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Home My WebLink AboutR05-109 establishing rate of charge for emergency telephone service Commissioner ~~L moved adoption of the following Resolntion: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF COLORADO RESOLUTION NO. 2005 - ESTABLISHING THE RATE OF CHARGE FOR EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SERVICE WHEREAS, C.R.S. 29-11-101, et seq., provides that the County may incur any equipment, installation, and other directly related costs for the continued operation of an emergency telephone service, and may pay such costs by imposing an emergency telephone charge for such service; and WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 91-9, the Board of County Commissioners of Eagle County, Colorado ("Board"), approved an intergovernmental agreement establishing the Eagle County Emergency Telephone Service Authority, and assessing a charge against each service user, excepting any state or local government entity; and WHEREAS, c.R.S. 29-11-103(3) directs the Board to establish a rate of charge at least once per calendar year by September 1 for the next fiscal year; and WHEREAS, c.R.S. 29-11-102(2)(b) provides for a rate of charge in excess of $.70 per month per service customer upon approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission; and WHEREAS, the Board sought approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to increase the emergency telephone charge from $.70 to $1.25 per month per service customer; and WHEREAS, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved the request to increase the emergency telephone charge to $1.25 per month per service customer, a copy of said order is attached hereto as Exhibit "A"; and WHEREAS, the Eagle County Emergency Telephone Service Authority Board recommends that the charge be increased to $1.25 per month per service customer in order to produce sufficient revenues to fund the expenditures necessary for the protection and preservation of the public health; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOL VED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF COLORADO: THAT, the Board finds it is appropriate to increase the charge of $.70 per month per exchange to $1,25 per month per exchange per access facility or per wireless communications -1 - access as those terms are defined in C.R.S. 929-11-101 (3) and (13) for 2006, excepting any state or local government entity. THAT, telephone (land line and wireless) service suppliers providing telephone service in Eagle County are hereby required to collect an emergency telephone charge, in accordance with C.R.S. 29-11-101, et seq., in the amount of one dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) per month, upon all telephone access facilities within Eagle County (except as are already assessed a charge for participation in the Aspen/Pitkin County E-911). Such charge shall not be imposed upon any state or local governmental entity. THAT, notice of such charge shall be given to telephone service suppliers by registered mail in accordance with C.R.S. 29-11-103(3). THAT, the Board hereby finds, determines and declares that this Resolution is necessary for the health, safety and welfare ofthe citizens of Eagle County. MOVED, READ AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Eagle, State of Colorado, at its regular meeting held the day of AtJGbtJ ~ r , 2005. o't~~ l ~ lID < * By:~ .-- Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner seconded adoption of the foregoing resolution. The roll having been called, the vote was as follows: Commissioner Menconi Commissioner Runyon Commissioner Stone This Resolution passed by vote of the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Eagle, State of Colorado. G:\BRY AN\9-1-1 \9-1-1\charge2005,DOC #90-50 -2 - Decision No, C05-0960 BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO DOCKET NO. 05A-267T IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE EAGLE COUNTY E-911 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SERVICE AUTHORITY BOARD C/O EAGLE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, PO BOX 850 EAGLE, COLORADO 81631, FOR AUTHORITY TO INCREASE THE EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CHARGE. ORDER GRANTING APPLICATION Mailed Date: August 4, 2005 Adopted Date: August 3,2005 I. BY THE COMMISSION A. Statement 1. The Applicant, Eagle County E 911 Emergency Telephone Service Authority Board (Board) filed an application for a 9-1-1-surcharge increase to $1.25 per access line on May 20, 2005. Filed concurrently with the application was a separate motion for Commission approval of alternative form of notice to customers by placement of an advertisement in the legal section of its local newspapers. The Commission approved the motion in Decision No. C05- 0818, dated June 29, 2005. By this application and under the provisions of 9 29-11-102(2)(b), C.R.S., the Board seeks authorization from the Comillission for an increase of the 9-1-1- surcharge rate to $1.25 per access line per month. The Commission gave a 30-day notice of the application on June 22, 2005. 2. The Board has provided proper notice with the advertisem~nttq,~:tl~t?mers wi!l1in the Eagle County area. The matter is uncontested. EXHIBIT \.> ~/l:P .. :0 JJ 3 Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado Decision No. C05-0960 DOCKET NO. 05A-267T B. Findings and Conclusions 3. The Vail Public Safety Communications Center is the only Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) within the county. The PSAP is operated by the Town of Vail Police Department, and dispatches emergency calls for the Eagle County Sheriff's Department, Vail Police Department, the Avon Police Department, the Eagle Police Department, the Minturn Police Department, Eagle County Animal Control, Vail and Beaver Creek Resort Security, Vail Mountain Rescue, four local fire departments and districts, and two ambulance districts. The PSAP provides Phase II Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) emergency telephone service within the entirety of Eagle County. 4. The PSAP serves an area of 1,694 square miles with a population of about 47,000. Interstate 70 bisects the county, which brings a transient population through it of approximately 60,000 people per day. Over 65 percent of 9-1-1 calls to the PSAP are made over cell phones, and illany of those callers are not county residents, and thus do not pay a monthly surcharge to the Board. One of the Board's on-going funding problems comes froill having to pay Qwest Corporation (Qwest) for 91,000 land and wireless lines while only collecting surcharge revenue from 64,000 such lines. 5. The PSAP's funding comes primarily from two sources, 62 percent from 9-1-1- surcharge revenue collected by the Board (estimated to be $545,000 for 2005), and the remaining 38 percent from the Town of Vail. Other agencies regularly contribute to the PSAP budget for routine dispatch services but not regularly for 9-1-1 related expenses. The current monthly surcharge rate of $.70 has been in effect since January 1,2003 and is no longer sufficient, due priillarily to increases in Qwest line charges (from $75,600 in 2003 to $176,400 for 2005). 2 Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado Decision No. C05-0960 DOCKET NO. 05A-267T 6. Up to the present, the Board's share of the PSAP funding pays for six salaried positions and for all of the Qwest and CenturyTel of Colorado, Inc., phone line costs. For 2005, these costs exceed surcharge revenues by $16,000, which depleted the 9-l-l-reserve account. Because of the inadequacy of the current surcharge revenues, the Board had to decline $145,000 in funding requests from the PSAP in 2004 and $114,000 in funding requests for 2005. 7. The Board maintains that Commission approval of the 9-1-1 surcharge increase to $1.25 per access line would increase revenues for 2006 and beyond by $428,200, and would be used to pay for previously declined funding requests from the PSAP and to restore the depleted reserve balance, which is used to meet unexpected expenditures and upgrades in technology. 8. The application is deemed complete. There have been no interventions filed during the notice period. We conclude that the proposed increase in the surcharge is just and reasonable and in the public interest, and therefore should be approved. The funds realized from the increase in the surcharge will be utilized to pay for allowable services as set forth in g 29-11- 104(2), C.R.S.I The increase in the surcharge is necessary to allow for the continued provision of enhanced emergency telephone services in Eagle County, and therefore the application should be granted. II. ORDER A. The Commission Orders That: 1. The application of the Eagle County E-9-l-1 Emergency Telephone Service Authori ty Board (Board) to increase the emergency telephone charge to $1.25 per access line per month effective January 1,2006, is deemed complete and granted. I Because the Board is based on a cooperative intergovernmental agreement in a county with a population of less than 50,000, it is authorized to use these funds for personnel expenses. See ~ 29-11-1 04(2)(b), c.R.S, 3 'jt:, . Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado Decision No. C05-0960 DOCKET NO. 05A-267T 2. The Board shall notify by registered mail every service supplier at least 90 days before the new rate will become effective. 3. This Order is effective upon its Mailed Date. B. ADOPTED IN COMMISSIONERS' WEEKLY MEETING August 3, 2005. THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO GREGORY E. SOPKIN POLL Y PAGE ATTEST: A TRUE COPY ()7iJ~ CARL MILLER Doug Dean, Commissioners Director G:\ORDER\C05-0960 05A-267T.doc:srs 4