Amends TCA Section 7-86-303.

This bill changes how the emergency communications boards calculate the amount of funding each emergency communications district receives.<br /> <br /> Under present law, the emergency communications board must annually distribute to each emergency communications district a base amount equal to the average of total recurring annual revenue the district received from distributions from the board and from direct remittance of 911 surcharges for fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012; however, the board must not distribute an amount less than the amount the district received in fiscal year 2012. <br /> <br /> This bill changes the applicable fiscal years to 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively; and changes the fiscal year the board must use to establish the minimum distribution amount a district receives to be 2022.<br /> <br /> Under present law, on or before December 1, 2014, the board must publish on its website the base amount for each emergency communications district. The board may not reduce the base amount for any emergency communications district unless the local government funding for such emergency communications district is reduced, in which case the board may reduce the base amount by the same amount as the local funding reduction. This bill revises the deadline the board must publish the base amount for each district on its website from December 1, 2014, to December 1, 2022. This bill also removes the restriction on the board reducing the base amount for any district unless the local government funding for such district is reduced.<br /> <br /> Under present law: <br /> <br /> (1) The board must distribute one-sixth of the base amount for each emergency communications district every two months, beginning at the end of the second month of each fiscal year; and<br /> <br /> (2) Any emergency communications district with a locally established 911 surcharge in effect as of July 1, 2011, less than the maximum allowable surcharge then in effect must be eligible to apply to the board for an increase in the base amount. The board must promulgate rules and regulations to facilitate such a request and to set minimum criteria that the emergency communication district must satisfy to obtain increased funding. The board must not be obligated to increase the base amount if the board lacks sufficient funds or if the board, after reviewing its criteria as set out in its rules, finds the emergency communication district has not met the guidelines.<br /> <br /> This bill deletes the provisions described above in item (2) and adds the following:<br /> <br /> (1) Beginning in 2031, during each year following release of the federal census results, the board must recalculate the base amount to each emergency communications district based on the population change within the boundaries of each district during the preceding decade; and<br /> <br /> (2) On or before December 1, the board must publish on its website the base amount calculated pursuant to the above provision, provided that the base amount must not be less than the amount received in 2022.<br />