To the Editor:

The Fayette Police would like to take this opportunity to endorse the 1/4 cent Sales Tax being requested by the Howard County 911 Board. The Howard County Dispatch service is an essential part of the Howard County and Fayette Public Safety service, and to do this job requires them to have the right equipment to perform the services they provide. 

The Howard County 911 Dispatch Center is the Base upon which all of your local Public Safety providers stand and must be taken care of.

Chief David Ford

 Fayette Police 

Department

To the Editor:

We would like to endorse the Howard County 911 Board’s proposition for the increase of sales tax by 1/4 of a cent. The expenses of running the 911 Central Dispatch have risen tremendously. Just replacing one of many parts of the equipment in the office costs more than the entire system cost in 1997 when they first started. Employee costs have also gone up as well. The 911 office has only asked to raise the tax one other time in 27 years. The board has tried three times over the last couple of years to get grants to help with equipment costs. They have been successful only once. While there is money out there, as usual it goes to bigger counties. Nothing new about that. For each $100.00 you spend it will only cost you an additional 25 cents. Not much to help this essential service going forward.

Howard County 911 is a separate agency from the fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and ambulance services. They have their own budget, their own employees, and their own board. All the board members volunteer their time to help operate this agency. They are very mindful of every decision they make. The employees are fantastic at 911. They take their job very seriously; they are, after all, the first step in getting help to you when you desperately need it. Our Emergency Management office is directly across the hall from them, so we see firsthand what goes on there. We have seen them go from having a general conversation to having the 911 lines ring. They immediately start gathering information, sometimes give instructions to the caller on how to do CPR or stop serious bleeding, at the same time paging the ambulance, sending the appropriate fire department and law enforcement if needed. Life can change in that office in a split second. In over 45 years of emergency services, they are no doubt some of the best we have seen. Please join us in supporting this necessary agency. Help them to help you!

Sincerely, 

Bryan Kunze Co-Director E.M.A.

Bill John Co- Director E.M.A.