911 Response Fee
City Council Votes to Repeal 911 Fee, Seeks Public Feedback on Revenue Alternatives
Telecommunications charges to cease; two-month refund application period to open
At the regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 15, members of the Ventura City Council unanimously voted to repeal the City’s Emergency Communication System Response Fee, commonly referred to as the 911 Fee. The ordinance will be officially repealed during the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting Monday, Jan. 12. The City had anticipated the fee as a source for approximately $2.2 million in revenue annually, and had committed to using the funds to augment Police and Fire services in Ventura.
Ventura’s fee was the first in the State to offer residents a choice to opt out of paying the $1.49 a month cost – and instead only pay when accessing the 911 system, with exemptions for “Good Samaritan” calls on behalf of others. That aspect turned out to be an administrative challenge, including widespread mis-billing by phone companies. The process for billing for individual calls by those who “opted-out” of the monthly fee presented another potential source of discontent. The Council decided on balance that repeal of the fee was the right choice.
Looking ahead:
- Telecommunications providers will be provided with a 60-day notification to cease billing the fee, with the effective date to be determined by Council
- Residents in the City of Ventura who chose to pay the monthly fee, and did not opt out, will have the opportunity to apply for a refund of all charges paid to the 911 Fee. A two-month refund application period will take place once telecommunications providers have ceased all billing. Information regarding refund procedures will be updated here as it becomes available.
During discussion Dec. 15, the Ventura City Council acknowledged that repealing the fee is a difficult choice at a time when City revenues have declined sharply as a result of the national and statewide economic crisis. The City Council has embarked on an ambitious “redesign” effort to reduce the cost of government by focusing on “what matters most.” Mayor Christy Weir said, “I will be looking forward to the discussion.” Residents who wish to offer ideas or feedback are encouraged to do so at www.cityofventura.net/mva.
The deadline to submit enrollment forms for the per-call option was Tuesday, May 6, 2008.
Ventura residents with new telecommunications service have 30 days to enroll for the per-call option, and should be notified of this through the service provider.
Special Notice:
Please examine your telecommunication bills closely, as all billing issues with service providers should be resolved.
Residents who choose the per-call option of the City of Ventura's monthly 911 fee, which funds public safety services and the emergency response communications system, are now receiving credits from service providers who may have mistakenly implemented the charges for all customers. When the fee appears on your bill, it is simultaneously credited on the same bill for a total charge of $0.00.
City staff are working closely with the telecommunication companies in Ventura to ensure that any and all telephone, data and fax lines enrolled in the per-call option for the 911 fee are exempted from the monthly charge or receive an account credit if mistakenly charged. The charges would occur if the service provider experiences a delay between the implementation of the fee and the integration of customer records. Not all residents who opted out of the 911 fee will be charged; this issue is limited to a handful of service providers and is being dealt with as quickly as possible.
Documents Related to Ventura's Emergency Communication System Response Fee
- Questions not answered here? Please call 805-339-4337.
- View the final Ordinance 2008-006
- View the full Administrative Report from May 12, 2008
- View the full Administrative Report from Feb. 25, 2008
- View the full Administrative Report from Jan. 28, 2008
- View a video about the City's revenue and spending, titled Budget 101
For Service Providers