12-5375. 911 fee moneys; approved uses; pre-approval of expenditures, request; unauthorized expenditure, penalties. (a) The proceeds of the 911 fees imposed pursuant to this act, and any interest earned on revenue derived from such fee, shall be used only for necessary and reasonable costs incurred or to be incurred by PSAPs for: (1) Implementation of 911 services; (2) purchase of 911 equipment and upgrades; (3) maintenance and license fees for 911 equipment; (4) training of personnel, not to include salaries; (5) monthly recurring charges billed by service suppliers; (6) installation, service establishment and nonrecurring start-up charges billed by the service supplier; (7) charges for capital improvements and equipment or other physical enhancements to the 911 system; or (8) the original acquisition and installation of road signs designed to aid in the delivery of emergency service. Such costs shall not include expenditures to lease, construct, expand, acquire, remodel, renovate, repair, furnish or make improvements to buildings or similar facilities. Such costs shall also not include expenditures to purchase, procure, maintain or upgrade subscriber radio equipment.

(b) The 911 coordinating council shall, pursuant to rules and regulations, establish a process for a PSAP, at the discretion of the PSAP, to seek pre-approval of an expenditure. The council shall respond in writing to any pre-approval request within 30 days and inform the PSAP if the requested expenditure is approved or disapproved. If the expenditure is disapproved, the written notification shall state the reason for the disapproval and such PSAP may, within 15 days after service of the notification, make a written request to the council to appeal the council's decision and for a hearing to be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Kansas administrative procedure act.

(c) The 911 coordinating council shall annually review expenditures of 911 funds reported on the annual report for each PSAP and shall appoint a committee to review such expenditures. If the committee determines that a reported expenditure was not authorized by this act, the committee shall request that the expenditure be refunded by the PSAP to the PSAP's 911 account. If a PSAP does not concur with the finding of the committee, the PSAP may request a review of the decision of the committee before the 911 coordinating council. If the 911 coordinating council, based upon information obtained from an audit of the PSAPs, determines that any PSAP has used any 911 fees for any purpose other than those authorized in this act, the governing body for such PSAP shall repay all such moneys used for any unauthorized purposes to the 911 fee fund of such PSAP. Upon a finding that the expenditure was made intentionally from the 911 fee fund of such PSAP for a purpose clearly established as an unauthorized expenditure, the 911 coordinating council may require such PSAP to pay the lesser of $500 or 10%, of such misused moneys, to the LCPA for deposit in the 911 state grant fund. No such repayment of 911 fees shall be imposed pursuant to this section except upon the written order of the council. Such order shall state the unauthorized purposes for which the funds were used, the amount of funds to be repayed and the right of such PSAP to appeal to a hearing before the Kansas office of administrative hearings. Any such PSAP may, within 15 days after service of the order, make a written request to the council for a hearing thereon. Hearings under this subsection shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Kansas administrative procedure act.

(d) Any final action of the council pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) is subject to review in accordance with the Kansas judicial review act.

History: L. 2011, ch. 84, § 14; L. 2019, ch. 39, § 13; July 1.