A monthly phone fee may be coming for Clark County residents

Clark County formally introduced a proposal Tuesday that would impose a $1 monthly surcharge on every telephone line to help pay for 911 infrastructure improvements.

The countywide ordinance next moves to a public hearing slated for Jan. 20. The ordinance, which would take effect April 1, still requires a final commission vote.

Also, the Clark County Commission voted Tuesday to accept a business impact statement, or a study that sought input from locals on the surcharge proposal.

Out of 19 responses, 13 were in opposition, five were in support and two were neutral, according to Mike Harwell, franchise manager with the county’s business department.

“The main concern about the opposition was the cost,” he said.

Under the proposed ordinance, switchboard users also would pay a $10 monthly fee for each “telephone trunk line.”

In November, the county approved a five-year master plan that laid the foundation for the proposed ordinance.

Citing public safety, officials have said the region’s analog 911 system was long overdue for modernization.

Clark County Fire Department Chief Billy Samuels previously told commissioners about instances the system has gone down because of incidents outside the county’s control.

That includes a 2024 system crash that lasted more than three hours after tree roots broke a line in Missouri, he said. Even though a backup system kicked in, emergency responders lost about a quarter of the calls that day.

Upgrading to a digital system would allow 911 callers to send video and text messages and provide emergency responders with more accurate locations, Samuels said.

Yearly fees for the surcharge would be capped at $15 million, per a 2025 Legislature bill that tripled the amount. The funds would be collected by telecommunications providers.

If there’s a surplus of uncommitted dollars by the end of each fiscal year, the county would have to reduce the amount charged the following year, the bill stated.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in 2025 that the surcharge dollars could potentially help offset costs of a proposed regional communication center.

Community feedback

The ordinance calls for the creation of the 911 Emergency Response Advisory Committee, which would determine how the money is spent. The board would have members appointed by regional local governments and Metro.

Nevada law has allowed the surcharge through various measures since 1995, after the federal government legalized it, but the county hasn’t used the authority.

Clark County notified the public about proposal in November, requesting input from “interested parties.”

The Nevada Telecommunications Association has long supported a surcharge to modernize the 911 system and endorses the county’s proposal, Rusty Shaffer, the organization’s executive director, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last year.

CTIA, a national trade group within the wireless communication industry, suggested that the county allow the fees to sunset after five years, the length of the county’s 911 master plan.

“This legislation would impose a new burden on wireless consumers in Clark County, disproportionately impacting working families and small businesses,” CTIA wrote.

Local residents opposed to the surcharge suggested that the county fund the 911 system through other means and cited economic struggles, while those in favor said improvements to the system were worth it.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.