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217 <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano questioned whether the Enhanced 911 system <br />would require additional staff to be added to the 911 Center <br />and Mr. Campagna replied that while there is currently a need <br />to add staff, the system itself would not require additional <br />personnel. <br /> <br /> Responding to questions from Mr. Toscano, Mr. Campagna <br />stated that Centel is the sole source for part of the system <br />and the remainder will be bid out. Mr. Campagna explained <br />that the monthly surcharge will remain the same regardless of <br />the amount of the bid, but the length of time the surcharge <br />is accessed will be adjusted depending upon the bid. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever asked for the total cost of the system and <br />Mr. Campagna stated that the system will cost approximately <br />$2,300,000 and will be shared by the City and Albemarle <br />County, with the City's share being approximately 40%. <br /> <br /> Rev. Edwards stated that he had received one call from a <br />senior citizen who objected to Enhanced 911 because of the <br />expense. <br /> <br /> Responding to a question from Mr. Vandever, John deKoven <br />Bowen, Chief of Police, stated that the Police Department <br />could probably handle a 10% increase in workload without new <br />staff. <br /> <br /> Mr. Hendrix noted that most cities and counties of any <br />size in Virginia have Enhanced 911 systems. <br /> <br /> Ms. Waters exPresSed some concern that commUnities have <br />adopted the'Enhanced 911 system because theY have been given <br />the authOrity to attach the surcharge t° teteph°ne~bills, <br />Ms. Waters stated that she felt there is a strong case to be <br />made for having the system, and added that the system will be <br />operated jointly with Albemarle County and the County cannot <br />adopt the System withoUt~the CitY's cooPeration~ <br /> <br /> On motion by Ms. Waters, seconded by Ms. Slaughter, the <br />ordinance entitled "AN ORDINANCE~ADDING A NEW ARTICLE~TO <br />CHAPTER 30 OF~THE CODE OF THE~CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, 1990, <br />AS AMENDED, ESTABLISHING ENHANCED EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SERVICE <br />(E-911) AND IMPOSING A SPECIAL TAX oN CONSUMERS OF TELEPHONE <br />SERVICE" was offered and carried over to the next_meeting for <br />consideration. <br /> <br /> Rev. Edwards stated that he would support the Enhanced <br />911 system because a life will always be more important to <br />him than the expense. <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter stated that she felt the fact that the <br />system is regional is important, but added that she felt the <br />added cost will be hard for persons on fixed incomes. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever stated that.he had problems supporting the <br />proposal and questioned whether there are other ways the <br />money could be better spent to save lives. Mr. Vandever <br />stated that he felt the regional argument was compelling and <br />while he was not persuaded about the necessity for the <br />system, he would probably reluctantly support it. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano requested that staff provide additional data <br />on the anticipated increases in the police and fire'budgets <br />as a result of Enhanced 911. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever asked for any information about the ' · ' <br />experience locally, including the size of the problem of not <br />being able to identify persons or locations and additional <br />information about the safety issue of firefighters as it <br />relates to early response to fires. <br /> <br /> <br />