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OCEAN COUNTY officials are calling on the State of New Jersey to restore transparency and accountability in the management of the state's 9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund. County leaders say that years of fund diversions have left local taxpayers footing the bill for critical emergency communications services.
In 2004, the State of New Jersey began collecting a 90 cents monthly surcharge added to every phone line meant solely to upgrade and maintain the state's emergency response systems, but a 2013 amendment significantly broadened the scope of the 9-1-1 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund, allowing funds to be used for a wide range of state-level emergency response activities, including capital expenditures, training, and operations of various state agencies and commissions.
For only three of the past 21 years, Ocean County has received grants from this fund, with the 2025 allocation cut in half.
"County and municipal governments are required to follow strict rules and transparency standards when managing dedicated funds, and the State should be held to the same standard," said Ocean County Commissioner Robert S. Arace, who is spearheading the County's efforts on this issue. "On an annual basis, 90% of the collected funds are diverted to the general fund. That's roughly $120 million annually."
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has repeatedly identified New Jersey as one of the worst offenders in the nation for diverting these public safety funds. As a result, counties and municipalities have been forced to rely on property tax revenue to maintain and modernize their 9-1-1 systems, a burden many argue should never have fallen to local taxpayers.
"New Jersey residents have paid into this fund for years with the expectation that their money would strengthen lifesaving 9-1-1 services," said Arace. "Instead, it's been used to balance the state's books, leaving counties and municipalities to cover the cost. Ocean County is demanding that these funds be returned to their intended purpose, to protect the public and support the first responders who answer the call every day."
"For too long, local governments have been left without the resources we were promised," said Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, Deputy Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners. "This misuse has created inequity between the state and its counties and placed an unfair financial strain on residents."
"When state funds are withheld or misused, the burden always falls on the local taxpayer," added Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines. "Ocean County residents deserve to see their money reinvested into public safety right here at home."
"Every day, our dispatchers and first responders rely on technology that must be dependable and up to date," said Ocean County Commissioner Jennifier Bacchione. "When state leaders divert these funds, they are not just taking dollars away from counties, they are putting public safety at risk. Ocean County is standing up for the residents who expect accountability and for the emergency professionals who keep them safe."
County leaders are urging the State to end the diversion of the 9-1-1 Trust Fund and to establish a mechanism for counties and municipalities to receive direct support for maintaining and upgrading emergency communications infrastructure. They stress that local governments, which operate the majority of public safety answering points, are best positioned to manage these resources efficiently and transparently.
"This is not simply an oversight; it is a blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars. Every dollar collected is meant to protect lives and strengthen emergency services, yet the current system forces counties into reactive, not responsible, budgeting. This is unacceptable and a direct failure of fiscal stewardship. This Board is taking a firm stance. We demand accountability, transparency, and the proper, responsible allocation of these critical funds now," the Commissioners said in a joint statement.
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