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Texas Statutes (Last Updated: January 4, 2014) |
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HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE |
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Title 9. SAFETY |
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Subtitle B. EMERGENCIES |
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Chapter 772. LOCAL ADMINISTRATION OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS |
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Subchapter B. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DISTRICTS: COUNTIES WITH POPULATION OVER TWO MILLION |
Sec. 772.114. 9-1-1 EMERGENCY SERVICE FEE
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(a) The board may impose a 9-1-1 emergency service fee on service users in the district if authorized to do so by a majority of the votes cast in the election to confirm the creation of the district and by a majority vote of the governing body of each participating jurisdiction. For purposes of this subsection, the jurisdiction of the county is the unincorporated area of the county.
(b) The fee may be imposed only on the base rate charge or its equivalent, excluding charges for coin-operated telephone equipment. The fee may not be imposed on more than 100 local exchange access lines or their equivalent for a single business entity at a single location, unless the lines are used by residents of the location. The fee may also not be imposed on any line that the Advisory Commission on State Emergency Communications excluded from the definition of a local exchange access line or an equivalent local exchange access line pursuant to Section 771.063. If a business service user provides residential facilities, each line that terminates at a residential unit and that is a communication link equivalent to a residential local exchange access line, shall be charged the 9-1-1 emergency service fee. The fee must have uniform application and must be imposed in each participating jurisdiction.
(c) The rate of the fee may not exceed six percent of the monthly base rate charged a service user by the principal service supplier in the participating jurisdiction.
(d) The board shall set the amount of the fee each year as part of the annual budget. The board shall notify each service supplier of a change in the amount of the fee not later than the 91st day before the date the change takes effect.
(e) In imposing the fee, the board shall attempt to match the district's revenues to its operating expenditures and to provide reasonable reserves for contingencies and for the purchase and installation of 9-1-1 emergency service equipment. If the revenue received from the fee exceeds the amount of money needed to fund the district, the board by resolution shall reduce the rate of the fee to an amount adequate to fund the district as required by this subsection or suspend the imposition of the fee. If the board suspends the imposition of the fee, the board by resolution may reinstitute the fee if money received by the district is not adequate to fund the district.
(f) In a public agency whose governing body at a later date votes to receive 9-1-1 service from the district, at a later date, the fee is imposed beginning on the date specified by the board. The board may charge the incoming agency an additional amount of money to cover the initial cost of providing 9-1-1 service to that agency. The fee authorized to be charged in a district applies to new territory added to the district under Section 772.105(b) when the territory becomes part of the district.