Upgrades add 50 cents to Oglethorpe cell phone bills

LEXINGTON - Oglethorpe County residents' cell phone bills soon will grow by 50 cents as the county upgrades its 911 service.

The 50-cent hike could bring about $50,000 to the county, officials say.

But commission Chairman Billy Pittard believes the county isn't getting all the money it's due. Surrounding counties could be getting the money Oglethorpe County residents pay because 40 percent of the people who live in the county have addresses with cities outside the county, Pittard said.

"We appear to be losing a lot of revenue because (cell phone) subscribers tell the company they live, let's say, in Colbert," Pittard said. "The tax money would go to Madison County instead of Oglethorpe County, where they actually live."

The problem exists all across the state, said Clint Mueller, legislative director of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

Cell phone companies are supposed to send the 911 taxes back to the county where the phone is used the most, Mueller said, but most companies just look at the billing address and send the money to that county.

"That's also a big issue for Athens-Clarke County," Mueller said. "A lot of students may use their phone mos

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