County Commissioners Drop 9-1-1 Fee Proposal

According to an article in the Unionville Times, the Chester County Commissioners will not pursue a plan to pass emergency-services costs down to individual municipalities.

The commissioners had proposed an idea in June to $5.20 per resident to cover the costs of a new training facility and 9-1-1 system. For East Whiteland Township, with 10,650 residents, the bill would have come to $55,380.

Municipal officials wrote letters and showed up to the commissioners' June meeting to oppose the idea.

According to the Unionville Times, the commissioners reversed course in a letter sent out to municipalities: 

["T]he Chester County Commissioners have reviewed the proposed method of the municipality cost recovery plan, originally determined on a population basis, and have decided that this method for cost recovery will not be pursued,” said a letter to municipalities from Mark Rupsis, the county’s chief operating officer. “No further discussion or vote on this method of recovery will take place at next week’s scheduled commissioners’ sunshine and regular meetings (July 24 and 25).”

County Commissioner Ryan Costello confirmed the news on Facebook, saying that the fee would have been voluntary and manageable, but it has been dropped:

This article correctly reports we are looking for new ways to help mitigate this revenue loss, and not exploring this proposal anymore. As all of you know, times are not easy for county government, but with that said, a reliable, state-of-the-art 911 system, while not mandated, is critical and necessary for Chesco to provide to its residents.