The City of Meridian and Lauderdale County say issues involving E911 funding have been resolved, as both governments are well into the first month of fiscal year 2018.

“E911 will continue to function,” said Lauderdale County Administrator Chris Lafferty. “In the end, there’s not going to be any shortfalls that are going to create any lacking in 911 services.”

Funds for E911 services come from a $1 surcharge that appears on phone bills. Lafferty said in a previous report the city and county split any “shortages” after the fund is exhausted.

Prior to passing both the city and county budgets for FY 2018, officials said the 50/50 split — normally $225,000 apiece — would not be enough to cover a shortfall moving forward.

Doubt was sown in early August when a local news station reported that the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors said it would “cut ties” with the city if it decides not to help pay for E911 services.

District 1 Supervisor Jonathan Wells dispelled the notion soon after and said the county was working with city officials to work out a funding solution.

This year the city increased its contribution to $325,000 for E-911 services, $100,000 more than last year, said David C. Whitaker, the city’s chief financial officer and city clerk.

Lafferty did not have an exact number readily available on Wednesday, but he did say the county’s contribution was at least $250,000, adding “we’ve put in enough to cover any shortfalls.”

Technology upgrades to the system have contributed to the rising costs, but some members of the city council feel a 50/50 split is unfair to city residents.

Ward 5 City Councilman Weston Lindemann, who also serves on the county’s E-911 Communications Board, said county taxes paid by city residents should be enough to help cover any shortfalls.

“I keep going back to the issue that has never really been talked about — double taxation with city residents,” Lindemann said. “I do realize they get certain services with the sheriff’s department and judges… But that is working out to be two-thirds of all the costs.

“It’s still not really fair, but it’s a conversation we’re going to have to keep having if we’re ever going to resolve this.”

Back in August, Ward 4 City Councilwoman Kim Houston agreed the city’s responsibility to help cover shortfalls seemed inequitable, but she added that playing politics with something “can be a matter of life and death.”

Lafferty’s counterargument is that nearly 70 percent of all 911 calls are made within the city limits.

“The city pays the county, and we pay all the bills,” said Lafferty in a previous report. “We are responsible for everything that has to do with E911. That’s why its easy for the city to drag things out because they’re not the ones that are ultimately responsible.”

Lindemann also said he and other E-911 board members are looking into the Mississippi Commercial Mobile Radio Service Board, which he said withholds about 30 cents for every dollar charged for E911 services.

According to the Mississippi CMRS website, one cent is retained by cell phone companies for administrative fees, and the other 99 cents is sent to the CMRS board.

Of that 99 cents, 69.3 cents is sent to the county, 29.1 cents is sent to “reimburse cell phone providers for expenses incurred to implement Phase I and Phase II,” and 6 cents is retained to pay CMRS Board expenses.

“We need this money for upgrades and things of that nature,” Lindemann said. “We’re trying to find a way to access that. It’s only fair if cities and counties are being asked to increase the money they give to 911 services, what are they doing with the money in a random account?”

CMRS Board members were not available for comment Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Federal Communications Commission’s website, the FCC’s wireless E911 program has been divided into Phase I and Phase II.

In Phase I, the FCC requires carriers, “within six months of a valid request by a local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), to provide the PSAP with the telephone number of the originator of a wireless 911 call and the location of the cell site or base station transmitting the call,” the site says.

Under Phase II, carriers are required “within six months of a valid request by a PSAP to begin providing information that is more precise to PSAPs, specifically, the latitude and longitude of the caller. This information must meet FCC accuracy standards, generally to within 50 to 300 meters, depending on the type of technology used.”