April 28, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania wants to increase the monthly 911 surcharge to $2.20 from $1.95.
That is 25 cents per month, or $3 per year for each cellular phone, land line or VoIP device. So the cost of one phone for a year would go to $26.40 from $23.40 annually, and a family with three phones would pay $79.20 per year.
That surcharge — I suspect most people don’t notice it — pays for 911 service. Where local officials stand on the increase, I don’t know.
The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, aka CCAP, is a lobbying group for Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. It represents county commissioners, executives, county council members and other county officials.
The item above is based on a press release that went out in advance of a 1 p.m. presentation of the surcharge increase. So far, I haven’t gotten anything since the event.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
Like all/most government I observe, they propose tax increases without ever fully examining ways to cut or reduce taxes. No new taxes without a full analysis of ways to reduce costs!!
What we see is bloated government staff dedicated to finding new ways to raise money, grants, taxes, etc. It is easy to “make the case for the cause” better 911, free lunch in schools, fighting bad things. How far will they go to increase the role / share of government in our lives?
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