What kinda )(&*(^* is this?

[FlashOver12]

Clarion County (PA) Threatens to shut down 911 service to part of Northern Armstrong that they help cover unless armstrong pays a fee

Good Greif, arent we supposed to work together!?!?!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/lead.../s_142780.html

[EFD840]

It doesn't seem unreasonable for the county actually providing 911 service to ask for the funds designated to pay for the service.

I do think there's a better way to handle it without threatening to cut off service. Of course, we're only getting one side of the story. The county getting threatened may not be as innocent as they first appear.

[LadyCapn]

Where exactly did all that money go if not to the 911 service that was providing the service?

[EFD840]

LadyCapn, as I read the article it went to the county of the addresses in question rather than the county of the agency that actually hosts the PSAP (Public safety answering point). The locations in question are probably covered by a emergency services based in another county. There are a couple of departments in my county that cover parts of adjacent counties and in order to speed service delivery, 911 calls are directed to the PSAP that dispatches the agencies that provide service. If the phone company doesn't reference the coverage area and simply routes all 911 fees collected to the county where the address is located, then you've got one county getting paid for a service they aren't providing and another getting short changed. I never thought about the cross-county issue until I read this article and I have no idea how it is handled down here. This may be a common issue but it seems like it would be an easy one to resolve - give the money to whomever is providing protection. Of course, it will get really tricky if fire protection is dispatched by county A and law enforcement by county B.