PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to raise the cellular telephone excise tax from 25 cents to 50 cents to fund services for JeffCom, the county’s 9-1-1 emergency dispatch system.
Commissioner Dan Titterness, R-Port Townsend, opposed the measure.
The added revenue from the tax increase will fund the purchase of new technology enabling the dispatch center to trace cellular telephone calls to their location.
JeffCom Director Tracy Stringer said about 45 percent of 9-1-1 calls in the county are made on cellular telephones.
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