Greenbrier County Commission approves 911 fee increase
By Matthew Young, RealWV
LEWISBURG, W.Va. – The Greenbrier County Commission, on Tuesday, adopted an ordinance which will raise 911 fees within the county for the first time in 30 years. Originally set at $2 per month in 1995, residential wireline fees will increase to $4.50 per month to cover the cost of upgrades and enhancements to the county’s emergency communications systems.
“Our emergency communications center has been upgraded, as mentioned in the previous discussion,” Commissioner Tammy Tincher said, during the Commission’s Regular Meeting. “Those upgrades were absolutely necessary in order to make sure that our residents, and surrounding county residents, are served properly in case of emergency.”
The cost for completing the upgrades has now surpassed $5 million, Tincher further explained, with more necessary maintenance still to come.
“Therein lies the reason and the necessity for the increase of these fees from the original implementation in 1995,” Tincher added.
Prior to the start of their Regular Meeting, the commission held a public hearing regarding the proposal of the ordinance. However, no members of the public attended, or submitted written comments for the record. County Attorney Britt Ludwig confirmed during the meeting that the proposed ordinance had been published on the county’s website and in area newspapers on Feb. 20, and notice of the public hearing was given as per state code. The RealWV also published both the full ordinance, and notice of the public hearing, on Feb. 15.
“In order to preserve the integrity of service to county residents, the county has undertaken to upgrade the E-911 system with the latest technology available,” Ludwig said. “Since the 911 fees have not increased in the county since 1995, they are now insufficient to fund necessary technology upgrades to the E-911 system.”
Increasing residential 911 fees to $4.50 per month brings Greenbrier County slightly above the state’s 2023 average of $4.13. In addition to the residential fee increase, business, PBX (Private Branch eXchange), and Centrex fees will each increase to $8 per month.
“Additionally, the proposal would update the ordinance to reflect operational differences in the system since the original ordinance was passed,” Ludwig noted.
The new ordinance became effective at the time of its adoption on Tuesday.
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