Franklin County leaders are asking residents a pointed question: are you willing to pay a little extra on online buys to keep 911 fully staffed and up to speed?
Officials want voters to approve a quarter-cent use tax on certain out-of-state and online purchases that slip past local sales tax collection. They say the money is needed to plug growing holes in the county’s 911 dispatch budget after years of shrinking revenue from the traditional landline phone tax.
Without a new funding stream, county leaders say they have had to prop up the emergency dispatch system with general fund dollars while they look for a long-term fix for staffing, technology upgrades and equipment replacement.
The proposal and the numbers
As reported by The Missourian, the measure would add a quarter-cent use tax on eligible online purchases, with the revenue earmarked for the county’s 911 budget.
According to the paper’s reporting, receipts from the existing landline-based 911 tax dropped from $746,178 in 2019 to $637,856 in 2024, then slid again to $515,106 in 2025. That is roughly a 31 percent falloff since 2019 and about a 19 percent drop between 2024 and 2025 alone. County officials told the outlet that the decline has forced them to backfill the dispatch budget from the general fund to keep staff and equipment paid for.
Why revenue is slipping
County documents and the 911 department link the shortfall to a familiar trend: residents are ditching landlines in favor of cell phones and internet-based calling. Since the 911 landline levy is tied to traditional phone lines, every household that cuts the cord chips away at the tax base.
Per Franklin County Government, the 911 operation is funded in part through that landline tax, and those receipts have been sliding as phone habits change.
It is not just a local problem. National data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that in 2022, 72.6 percent of adults lived in wireless-only households. That broad shift away from landlines undercuts any tax dependent on old-school home phones.
What the use tax would buy
County officials say every dollar from the proposed use tax would flow to 911 dispatch operations. That includes dispatcher salaries, ongoing equipment replacement and next-generation mapping and call-routing systems meant to improve response times and accuracy.
As outlined in The Missourian, supporters argue that a small use tax on qualifying online purchases would help stabilize the 911 fund without increasing traditional point-of-sale sales taxes at local shops. County staff say the cost of running modern emergency communications keeps climbing, while the landline revenue that once carried much of the load no longer does the job.
Other options on the table
County leaders note that the use tax is only one path among several authorized under state law. The Missouri 911 Service Board outlines the main options: a wireline (landline) surcharge, a county-level 911 sales tax, or an all-device surcharge of up to 1 dollar per device. An all-device proposal must first be submitted to the board before it can appear on a county ballot.
Each approach comes with specific legal steps and oversight requirements. The board also notes that prepaid wireless surcharges and a few narrower tools can add to the mix, but counties have to follow state procedures before collecting any of those revenues.
Next steps for voters
The Franklin County Commission still has to lock in ballot language and place the measure on an election date before voters get the final say.
Recent meeting coverage shows commissioners voted to set the 2026 911 tax rate and directed staff to return with revenue modeling and legal analysis on long-term funding choices before pushing ahead, according to Citizenportal.ai.
Residents who want to track how the proposal develops can monitor commission meetings and review posted materials on the county website, where any decisions about formal scheduling or final ballot wording are expected to appear.
