This renewal is important

Published 2:42 am Thursday, May 18, 2006

By Staff
Everyone who pays taxes wishes their burden could be reduced. The few times voters are given the opportunity to vote their opposition to a tax, often the purpose of the tax is ignored and their displeasure of paying overrides the actual purpose of the tax.
Coming in August, an important tax renewal will be up in Cass County. It is time to renew the 9-1-1 surcharge. You may have not even noticed the $1.90 on your phone bill each month. But if you were faced with a loved one experiencing a heart attack, or an intruder, you would miss the quick response from a call placed to the police or call for an ambulance.
The enchanced 9-1-1 where your address comes up when the call is placed came to Cass in 1990. It was 1999 before Berrien County had this enhanced service, according to Cass County Undersheriff Rick Behnke.
Calls come in from five counties to Verizon in Three Rivers and routed out to the proper emergency service in three to four seconds.
The caller's history can help in an emergency, notifying the ambulance crew of a particular condition, or whether previous domestic violence was reported at this address.
The Cass County Commissioners are the ones who originally determined the surcharge. Renewals come up every four years. The $1.90 brings in $582,000.
Legally, they could charge $3.60 per month, but they determined what was actually needed, Behnke explained to those attending a Business After Hours in Cassopolis, put on by the Cassopolis/Vandalia Chamber of Commerce.
Those who have a wireless phone pay 52 cents per cell phone per month.
Though there is no caller history or name, they are working toward the location coming in with a GPS system, if the caller stays on for 20 seconds. Some carriers are more advanced than others, he said.
This is one vote which should be an easy yes.
Though you may never need this service - you want it when you need it.