Mat-Su residents to see slight phone bill boost under new 911 fee
The newly increased E-911 surcharge will hit phone bills starting in July.
What you need to know:
- Mat-Su residents will pay a higher 911 surcharge starting July 1, increasing from $1 to $1.50 per phone line each month, or about $6 more annually per line.
- Borough officials expect the increase to generate about $660,000 next year to help fund additional 911 call-taker positions and other dispatch-related needs.
- MATCOM, the region’s primary emergency dispatch center, saw calls rise from 81,291 in 2022 to 89,385 last year. Officials said the increase reflects the area’s population growth.
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PALMER — Mat-Su residents will see slightly higher phone bills starting in July under a tax increase approved by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly this spring.
The update increases a surcharge used to fund 911 services and related technology upgrades from $1 per phone line each month to $1.50, or about $6 more per line annually.
The tax is included on all cellphone and landline bills charged to addresses in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
The increased fee will appear on bills starting July 1, borough finance officials said. The increase is expected to bring in $660,000 next year, according to borough budget documents.
The new funds will be used primarily to pay for additional 911 call-taker positions, according to the measure. Those additional positions are needed to address the ever-growing number of emergency calls in Mat-Su, Ken Barkley, the borough’s emergency services director, told the Assembly last month.
“This is about the growth of this area,” Barkley said. “In order for them to handle these calls back-to-back and simultaneously, they need more dispatchers. The dispatchers are asking for help.”
Emergency calls to Wasilla-based MATCOM, which receives most of the region’s 911 calls and dispatches emergency responders, have increased steadily since 2022, according to MATCOM statistics presented to the Wasilla City Council in January. MATCOM dispatches state troopers, Wasilla police, and most borough fire responders.
In 2022, MATCOM dispatchers handled 81,291 calls. Last year, they handled 89,385, according to city documents.
The increase was approved as part of the 2027 Mat-Su Borough budget.
State lawmakers first approved the surcharge program in the 1990s. Revenue from the fee can be used to pay for local 911 emergency service needs, including technology upgrades, training, and call-taker salaries, according to state code.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com