County Residents to Pay Less for 911 Service

A change at the state level means Effingham County residents will pay less for 911 service.

The 911 surcharge in Effingham County has been $2.75/month per landline since emergency telephone service was enacted almost 20 years ago. However, state officials have recognized that more people are abandoning their landlines in favor of solely utilizing their cellphones. The move has meant much less revenue for 911 systems.

Governor Bruce Rauner has signed into law a measure that institutes an 87-cent per phone service surcharge statewide, effective January 1, 2016. The measure is being seen by some legislators as a victory for downstate residents since Chicago-area phone customers have been paying as little as 50 cents/month for their surcharge. The new law also guarantees that there will be sufficient revenue to maintain 911 systems in Illinois.

Meanwhile, 911 board members have learned that work has begun to install new consoles in the dispatching areas. 911 System Administrator Jodi Moomaw said Randy Neal of Motorola has begun running cable and installing the equipment racks.