When ballots from the Deschutes County 911 election are counted on Tuesday, public safety officials will know whether they have enough money to fund the emergency call center at current service levels for at least another five years.

There is no ballot opposition to the measure.

But the debate over the long-term future of an emergency communications system that currently receives 250,000 calls per year is only beginning, according to law enforcement figures.

At stake, is the possible advent of an expensive, high-tech dispatch system and an evolving clearinghouse of information that encompasses everything from multi-jurisdictional criminal rap sheets to fire hydrant locations.

”Our bad guys don’t know jurisdictional boundaries,” said Bend Police Chief Andy Jordan.

Starting in 2001, a group of public safety officials researched the latest in communications technology, driven by concern over the county’s ”fragmented records and dispatching system,” according to a report by a 911 technology committee.

Last summer, the committee determined that a new consolidated system – technology that would allow one-stop, mobile access to dispatch and records – was the answer.

The only hitch: the system’s $3 million to $4 million price tag. The solution, law enforcement officials decided: ask property owners for half of what the system would cost. That, they said, would be enough to fund current service levels.

The plan backfired in November when voters defeated a proposed tax increase by less than 1,000 votes – declining to fund the hike that would have raised annual taxes on a $150,000 home by $13.50.

Now, forced back to the voters by what proponents say are dwindling reserves, a drop in state funding and the prospect of losing a system that can quickly alert county residents to missing people or natural disasters, law enforcement and fire officials again have their fingers crossed. They’re asking for the same four-year tax increase, and state law requires at least a 50 percent turnout of registered voters for the vote to even count.

The tax hike, if it’s passed by voters, will continue to fund the current mix of computer systems used by the 911 service district. It is expected to raise about $800,000 per year over the next four years.

Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship estimates the election will cost $39,000.

According to a report released in November 2002 by the 911 district’s information technology committee, the dispatch and records system has several deficiencies that could be solved by buying a new system. Among them:

– Three separate computer systems each require databases. The lack of a common database results in ”frequent loss of service and down time.”

– A computer-aided dispatch system is the only connection between all agencies. Record sharing between agencies can’t occur and police and fire officers must use separate systems to do reports and check calls and records.

– Officers in the field can’t check or share mug shots and information gathered by one department on a known suspect, and this information can’t be shared with other Oregon agencies.

The current system works, but there’s plenty of technology out there that works better, said Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles.

”It’s adequate, just adequate,” Stiles said. ”There’s a whole host of things that could be better.”

The 9-1-1 Service District, which covers an area of more than 3,000 square miles, is governed by the Deschutes Board of County Commissioners and an executive board made up of five members of the different agencies dispatched by the district.

Chris Barker can be reached at 541-617-7829 or at cbarker@bendbulletin.com.