Monmouth County Officials Want To Know Where Millions In 911 Services Tax Has Gone

FREEHOLD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Emergency call centers across the region have been struggling to upgrade as New Jersey residents are taxed to pay for the upgrades.

However, as CBS2's Meg Baker reported, Monmouth County officials want to know where the money has gone.

In Monmouth County, people can text message 911, but in order for it to work more efficiently, the entire state needs to be upgraded, because not all phone carriers or neighboring counties that might get the call are included.

When it comes to pinpointing the caller's location, the system developed in the 1980s can only give a range.

Monmouth County taxpayers funded a new 911 call center, but all New Jersey residents pay a 90-cent tax on their phone bill that is supposed to be allocated toward improving 911 services.

A bill was introduced to raise the tax.

"To add an additional nine cents to a 90-cent fee that isn't being used for that dedicated purpose to being with makes no sense whatsoever," Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said.

Freeholder Thomas Arnone wants answers on where an estimated $120 million generated annually already from this tax has gone.

"Demanding our governor, our Senate and our Assembly to restore the funding that is due to us," Arnone said.

Gov. Chris Christie's office referred CBS2's Baker to the Board of Public Utilities who said they were "tracking it down" and then passed her onto the New Jersey Office of Information Technology were she left a message.

The last time Monmouth County saw any funding from the phone bill tax was in 2010.

The county estimate it is owed $2.5 million, which would go toward upgrades, training and coordinating services.