FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Ridley
AUGUST 16, 2025

$3 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR 911

(ATLANTA) On August 13 in Moultrie, the OneGeorgia Authority, in a motion made by Lieutenant Governor and Authority Vice-Chair Mark Taylor, unanimously approved a $3 million set-aside of grant funds for Enhanced 911 services.

"It is unthinkable that over 250,000 Georgians are currently without the most basic of emergency services - the 911 call. I am proud OneGeorgia can step up to work with the sheriffs and counties to establish E-911," Taylor said.

Funding will be made available only to counties willing to enter into multi-jurisdictional, or regional, service agreements. "Most of these counties are too small to be able to support E-911 on an ongoing basis," Taylor pointed out, "but with grants for equipment and start-up costs, we can encourage them to work together to establish a regional system that is financially sustainable for each participating jurisdiction."

In addition, the grants will focus on ensuring "Enhanced" 911 services are implemented across Georgia. "As any emergency dispatcher will tell you, an accident victim, a heart attack victim, or a person being robbed rarely has the time or presence of mind to provide their exact location - the technology of enhanced 911 gives our emergency personnel that critical location information, " Taylor stated.

Taylor approached Governor and OneGeorgia Authority Chairman Roy Barnes in May about utilizing tobacco funds for E-911. "The lack of 911 services not only hurts citizens, it seriously impacts companies' insurance premiums and creates a deterrent to doing business in rural Georgia. It's a perfect fit for OneGeorgia," Mark Taylor said.

E-911 services are but one component of Taylor's strategy to build a statewide trauma network to serve the critically injured. "Too many Georgians are unable to receive medical treatment within the "golden hour" following a serious accident. Statewide E-911 is a critical first step toward providing better emergency care for our citizens and enabling them not only to survive but to live productive lives following a serious accident," he said.

Counties eligible to apply for E-911 funding include: Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Bleckley, Candler, Clay, Clinch, Cook, Crawford, Dooly, Hancock, Irwin, Johnson, Lanier, Macon, Marion, McIntosh, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Telfair, Treutlen, Warren, Webster, and Wheeler.