The cost of E-911 may be too rich for Hancock County's blood. That was the consensus among about 30 residents attending a Tuesday night presentation on the status of the statewide implementation of the all-purpose emergency number. The hearing was sponsored by the Hancock County Planning Commission. Now Bell Atlantic has 30 months to ensure Maine is compliant with a federal mandate that requires states to make E-911 available to every citizen.
Maine is the last state in the union to follow suit.
This fee shows up as a surcharge on every household telephone bill. Residents at Tuesday's meeting weren't worried about the monthly surcharge. Instead, they were concerned about the long-term costs to the county. In Hancock County, the state has proposed public safety answering points be the Bar Harbor police station and the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, Gervernack said. The state Emergency Services Communications Bureau is looking to set up between 50 and 60 similar public safety answering points across the state, Gervernack said.