1. First reading-ordinance for 911 fees

CASS COUNTY COMMISSION POLICY MANUAL SUBJECT: ORDINANCE#2014-_EMERGENCY SERVICES COMMUNICATIONS (9-1-1) FEE ADOPTED DATE: PAGE 1 OF 3 ORDINANCE NO. 2014- AN ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH AND REGULATE A COUNTY WIDE 911 FEE ON "ASSESSED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES" (telephone exchange access service, wireless service, active prepaid wireless service, and voice over internet protocol service) UNDER THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF CASS COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNTY COMMISSION OF CASS COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA: 911 FEE ON COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES PURPOSE: The purpose of this Ordinance is to facilitate the accumulation of funds to be used for operation and upgrade of a 911 Operations Center in Cass County(currently the Red River Regional Dispatch Center) including necessary system wide upgrades and communication line fees. HISTORY: The City of Fargo, the City of West Fargo, and Cass County has separately implemented 911 Fees with the City of Fargo and Cass County currently having a fee of $1.00 per communication line and the City of West Fargo currently having a fee of $1.50 per communication line. All three entities subsidize the operation of the 911 system with varying amounts of property tax dollars or other revenue sources. AUTHORITY: The county is operating under a Home Rule Charter approved by the voters of Cass County on November 1, 1994 with 57.75% positive votes. Paragraph 2 of Article 2, Home Rule, Powers of County, reads in part that the County has the power to: "Control its finances and fiscal affairs; appropriate money for its purposes, and make payment of its debts and expenses; subject to the limitation of Article 9, levy and collect taxes, excises, fees, and special assessments for benefits conferred, for its public and proprietary functions, activities, operations, undertakings, and improvements; contract debts, borrow money, issue bonds, warrants, and other evidences of indebtedness; establish charges for any county or other services to the extent authorized by state law, and establish debt and mill levy limitations subject to Article 9."