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According to the most recent data by the National Emergency
Number Association, a non-profit organization focused on
improving 911 services, Chicago charges the most in the country
for the service, ahead of New York, North Dakota, and West
Virginia.
Justin Carlson of the Illinois Policy Institute explained how
the city is implementing the fee, even for those who never have
to call 911.
"This is not an every-time-you-call fee. It is a monthly
surcharge," Carlson told The Center Square. "For people who have
numbers within the city of Chicago, they will get charged five
dollars a month, every month, for 911 services."
Carlson said the fee has been raised in previous years.
"On Jan. 1st, 2018, the surcharge for 911 calls went from $3.90
to $5.00," Carlson said. "The reason it was implemented was to
update and modernize the city's 911 system."
Even with the improvements made to the systems paid for with
taxpayer fees, Chicago police officers still struggle to respond
to calls in a timely manner.
According to a recent report from The Chicago Tribune, more than
21,000 calls made to CPD in 2022 included over an hour of wait
time before an officer arrived at the scene.
Chicago residents also see expanded bills on their wireless
plans due to the state's high taxes. The federal tax rate on
wireless plans is 12.24%. However, according to Tax Foundation
data, Illinois' state tax on wireless plans of 22.65% is the
most expensive for cell phone users nationwide.
Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and
Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April
of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.
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