R-2021-35 Support of greater Harris County 911 Legislation

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RESOLUTION 2021-35 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA PORTE, TEXAS, IN SUPPORT OF GREATER HARRIS COUNTY 911 LEGISLATION; FINDING COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. WHEREAS,for over 37 years, since its establishment in November 1983,the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network(GHC 9-1-1)has provided a highly reliable,accurate,technologically advanced,and effective 9-1-1 system to the jurisdictions it serves within the counties of Harris and Fort Bend;and WHEREAS,today,GHC 9-1-1 administers service for 49 cities,two counties,and over 150 police,fire,and emergency medical agencies with 50 fully equipped 9-1-1 answering points within GHC 9-1-1's service area;and WHEREAS,GHC 9-1-1 has maintained,without incurring debt,a high level of service to an expanded service area and population at the same fee level set over 23 years ago,and this fee level is no longer sustainable in such a rapidly growing area;and WHEREAS, on behalf of the citizens served, GHC 9-1-1 strives to implement the latest life-saving emergency communications technology commonly known as Next Gen 9-1-1. Next Gen 9-1-1 promises to bring further enhanced capabilities for quick and accurate determination of a caller's location,more reliability and redundancy across the GHC 9- 1- 1 territory,and the ability to receive critical emergency event data in multi-media formats,such as text and video,to 9- 1-1;and WHEREAS,the GHC 9-1-1 Board of Managers recognizes that the decades-old funding mechanism set by the Texas Legislature in 1997 for wireless devices will not fully cover the cost of implementing Next Gen 9-1-1 to meet a high consumer expectation of 9-1-1 capabilities on modern wireless devices;and WHEREAS,it is a major challenge to maintain the current system and keep up with current advancements with a fee level adopted more than two decades ago;and WHEREAS, GHC 9-1-1 will seek legislation during the upcoming 87th Session of the Texas Legislature to provide for technology improvements of its system by allowing its Board of Managers to set the 9-1-1 wireless fee in the same manner asthe Board currently sets the wireline fee-as part of the annual budget;and WHEREAS,GHC 9-1-1 requests the support of its legislative efforts allowing for flexibility,local control,and ability to maintain the lowest 9-1-1 fee possible; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA PORTE,TEXAS,THAT: this resolution be adopted in support of the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network's legislative effort to continue the technological enhancements and operational advancements of the 9-1-1 system to better serve the 9-1-1 emergency needs in Harris and Fort Bend counties. PASSED and APPROVED this,the 25th day of January,2021. CITY OF) ORTE,TEXAS _M A ,,,.....„, Luis r . Rigby; or r ••.,.F �� ' 1 • T ,EST: i o lj APPROVED AS TO FORM: e_rk oodwa City Se ' % ��.�..-0'..� Clark T. Askins,Assistant City Attorney 1t,C/?rr7!TY,"(c