Emergency Communications Commission Seeks ~$10M for Tech

The Commission on State Emergency Communications is requesting about $10 million in general revenue exceptional-item funding tied to emergency communications technology as part of its Fiscal Year 2028-29 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR).

The administrator’s statement identifies two exceptional funding areas: $7.4 million for computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and $2.4 million for emergency notification systems.

All appropriated funding for the exceptional item would be provided as cost-reimbursement grants to the 19 Regional Planning Commissions that participate in the state 911 program. Those commissions administer and provision 911 services in their regions.

The commission’s 911 program serves 184 counties and 225 Public Safety Answering Points, according to the LAR. The agency provides funding, oversight and administration for 911 services delivered through regional planning commission grant contracts.

The LAR also includes a baseline capital budget item for data center services. The request lists about $617,000 in FY 2028 and about $604,000 in FY 2029, for a biennial total of about $1.2 million.

Those data center services are allocated across several strategies, including 911 network operations and equipment replacement, statewide poison network operations, poison call center operations, 911 program administration and indirect administration.

The indirect administration strategy also includes information technology and information security services.

The LAR was prepared under statewide budget instructions requiring agencies to reduce base appropriation request levels by 3 percent. The commission says its request complies with that requirement.