911 upgrade makes county eligible to receive state grants

The 911 center will soon be able to ID cell phone calls.

MERCER, Pa. — Upgrades in the county’s Emergency 911 system has Mercer in line to get some state money to help pay personnel costs in the emergency center.

Frank Jannetti, county director of public safety, said Wednesday that once the current half-million-dollar upgrade is completed next fall, the county will be eligible to receive state grants to help pay personnel costs in the telecommunications center.

He said the grants are based on the percentage of wireless calls made to the local 911 system.

He said current equipment does not make this distinction so it is impossible to estimate how much money the county could get.

Mercer County commissvioners plan to sign an agreement today with Embarq (United Telephone Co. of Pennsylvania) for installation of $506,448 worth of equipment that will give the 911 office the ability to identify the location of calls from cell phones.

The work, which will be paid for with a state grant derived from cell phone taxes, is expected to be completed in September 2008.

Once the county completes the upgrade, it can apply for grants to help pay E-911 personnel costs from the $1 per month the state collects on every cell phone.

The county also receives revenue from a $1.25 per month tax charged for every traditional land-line phone. This money is used to help run the 911 center.

Commissioner Olivia Lazor noted, however, that there has been a “dramatic drop” in the number of land lines, thereby reducing the county’s revenue from that source.