Marshall County meter fee officially repealed; leaders to consider other ways to fund E

MARSHALL COUNTY — After a long legal fight, Marshall County's proposed electric meter fee has been put to rest.

The fee has been a topic of conversation since it was first brought up in the Marshall County Fiscal Court in 2019. It was also the subject of a lawsuit by electric companies.

On Tuesday, the Marshall County Fiscal Court completely repealed the meter fee, which would have helped pay for the local E-911 center.

Residents won't have to pay an extra $84 a year for each electric meter.

For now, the E-911 center will be paid for through the general fund, but that may change in the future.

The Marshall County Fiscal Court had its second and final reading to repeal the meter fee Tuesday.

Marshall County Judge Executive Kevin Spraggs says that decision is a step in the right direction.

"We felt like it wasn't the best option for the county, and the utility providers, they obviously didn't want to collect it, so we're going to look at other options. But yeah, we wanted to put that behind us and move on," said Spraggs.

The original proposal would've added up for residents. They would've paid $7 per meter, per month to fund the E-911 center.

The fiscal court is currently exploring new ways to fund the E-911 center.

"We haven't really gotten too far into that yet. I mean, there's other avenues, but we haven't gotten far enough into that to, you know, have discussion or anything," Spraggs said.

One Marshall County resident, Connie Conley said, "We own one meter. I don't think people with numerous meters should have to pay per meter, but I think E-911 is very important to the community."

Conley said E-911 is something that should be funded no matter what, especially in light of recent severe weather Marshall County has seen.

Spraggs said the decision puts the fiscal court all on the same page as members explore other options to fund the E-911 center in the future.

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