Sturgis-Coldwater News

With a proposed increase to the local telephone surcharge that helps fund 911 operations in the county on the line, Branch County Sheriff John Pollack has recently written an open letter to the community regarding his concerns that political controversy could overshadow funding needs.

In a recent incident involving an attempt to locate a missing man that resulted in a ten-hour search, the deputies responding had to drive a mile away from the search area every time they needed to make radio contact with dispatch, according to The Daily Reporter.

“This meant someone had to constantly drive that one mile every time we needed to communicate with Central Dispatch and assisting agencies, one less person to help search,” Pollack told The Daily Reporter. “Our county is approximately 500 square miles. We could not communicate with dispatch, which was only 7 miles away.”

Sheriff John Pollack | Michigan Sheriffs' Association

The proposed six-year surcharge increase is related to addressing the needs identified in a multiyear study, according to The Daily Reporter. With a price tag between $8.3 and $9.2 million, the county lacks any other funding apparatus to make the upgrades.

Voters will be asked to vote on increasing the surcharge from 42 cents to $2.96 per month, according to The Daily Reporter. However, the County Commissioners could reduce the surcharge in future years if grant funds are found to offset some of the cost.

“Whether you agree or disagree with the decision to audit 911′s operations is immaterial. The fact still remains, the current communications equipment must be replaced,” Pollack told The Daily Reporter. “Who operates it or how it is managed is immaterial if the equipment continues to fail. Nine-one-one's operation is a question for later.”

Pollack admonished community members to “remember, we can’t respond if we can’t communicate."