Cape Girardeau County

Informational Purposes: County 911 Subscriber Fee Question

April 7, 2026, General Municipal Election

Who is asking for this?

The Cape Girardeau County 911 Board, Emergency Responders and Cape Girardeau County Commission.  

Who benefits from this?

The citizens of Cape Girardeau County benefit from this subscriber fee by ensuring that there is a fully functioning 911 system in place for when citizens are in a time of need. The subscriber fee keeps our 911 equipment functioning with current technology and up to date equipment that ensures that emergency responders can find your location based on the phone number of the device you use to contact 911.

What are they asking for?

A 911 subscription fee of one dollar ($1.00) per month per active telephone number on any communications device that has been enabled to call 911. This subscription fee is applied by your device carrier on your bill. This applies only to devices capable of contacting 911.

When will this happen?

The April 7, 2026 ballot will ask voters if they would like to impose a monthly fee of $1.00 on a subscriber of any communications service that has been enabled to contact 911 for the purpose of funding 911 service in Cape Girardeau County.

If passed by the voters, this $1.00 fee per month per active telephone number will replace the current 8% tax imposed on land line telephones to fund 911. If approved, the transition will happen before the end of 2026.

Why do we need this fee?

Currently the 911 system is funded by an 8% tax imposed on land line telephones. As the number of land lines decreased over the past several years, 911 funding has decreased by more than two-thirds.  Our current funding model of 8% on landlines is deficient to maintain a reliable 911 system. If passed, the $1.00 per device subscriber fee will replace the 8% tax and ensure system upgrades and maintenance in the future based on the number of devices that can access the system.

Where will the funds go?

The funds received from the $1.00 per device subscriber fee will be used to maintain and enhance the County 911 system. With technology advancements and rising cost of software subscriptions the subscriber fee will be used to keep our 911 centers up to date with technology and ensure emergency responders can find you in time of need.

Paid for by Cape Girardeau County. Clint Tracy, Presiding Commissioner. 100 Court St., Ste. 301, Jackson, MO 63755