Countywide : Agreement Brings More Funds for Call Boxes

The state Department of Motor Vehicles has agreed to accept a smaller share of the funds being collected for a network of emergency call boxes on Orange County freeways, netting the county as much as $65,000 more for installation of the system.

In a recent meeting with county transportation officials, the department agreed to take an administration fee of only 5 cents out of the $1 to be assessed for each vehicle registration in Orange County. Initially, the DMV had demanded a 9-cent share.

The DMV will then reevaluate its administrative fee after it determines what its actual costs are in collecting the surcharge, department director A. A. Pierce told the Orange County Transportation Commission.

The $1 surcharge is expected to generate about $1.6 million a year for installation of call boxes at half-mile intervals along Orange County’s 135 miles of freeways.

The costs for installing the system, depending on what technology is selected, range anywhere from $383,000 to $700,000, with annual maintenance running from $319,000 to $708,000.

The call boxes could be in operation as early as next spring, transportation officials said.