San Diego city officials should take caution with advancing efforts for a new telephone surcharge to pay for 9-1-1 emergency communications services, according to Vince Vasquez, Senior Policy Analyst with the San Diego Institute for Policy Research (SDI).
Speaking before the San Diego City Council's Budget Committee on Wednesday, Mr. Vasquez highlighted four key concerns with the 9-1-1 fee proposal brought forth by the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst in a recent report. They are: 1) legal issues may hamper its possible enactment; 2) San Diegans are in need of more phone tax relief, not more phone taxes; 3) 9-1-1 fee exemptions would be political, not policy-oriented; and 4) adopting a fee structure designed by the city of San Francisco, as favored by the Budget Analyst, would be erroneous. As a back-door tax, not subject to voter approval for implementation or rate hikes, Mr. Vasquez suggested that a 9-1-1 fee would end up costing San Diegans millions of dollars more than they expect.
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