Maryland Public Safety Section 1-306

      (a)      The Board shall coordinate the enhancement of county 9-1-1 systems.

      (b)      The Board's responsibilities include:

            (1)      establishing planning guidelines for enhanced 9-1-1 system plans and deployment of wireless enhanced 9-1-1 service in accordance with this subtitle;

            (2)      establishing procedures to review and approve or disapprove county plans and to evaluate requests for variations from the planning guidelines established by the Board;

            (3)      establishing procedures for the request for reimbursement of the costs of enhancing a 9-1-1 system by a county or counties in which a 9-1-1 system is in operation, and procedures to review and approve or disapprove the request;

            (4)      transmitting the planning guidelines and procedures established under this section, and any amendments to them, to the governing body of each county;

            (5)      submitting to the Secretary each year a schedule for implementing the enhancement of county or multicounty 9-1-1 systems, and an estimate of funding requirements based on the approved county plans;

            (6)      developing, with input from counties, and publishing on or before July 1, 2004, an implementation schedule for deployment of wireless enhanced 9-1-1 service;

            (7)      reviewing and approving or disapproving requests for reimbursement of the costs of enhancing 9-1-1 systems, and submitting to the Secretary each year a schedule for reimbursement and an estimate of funding requirements;

            (8)      reviewing the enhancement of 9-1-1 systems;

            (9)      providing for an audit of county expenditures for the operation and maintenance of 9-1-1 systems;

            (10)      ensuring inspections of public safety answering points;

            (11)      reviewing and approving or disapproving requests from counties with operational enhanced 9-1-1 systems to be exempted from the expenditure limitations under § 1-312 of this subtitle; and

            (12)      authorizing expenditures from the 9-1-1 Trust Fund that:

                  (i)      are for enhancements of 9-1-1 systems that:

                        1.      are required by the Board;

                        2.      will be provided to a county by a third party contractor; and

                        3.      will incur costs that the Board has approved before the formation of a contract between the county and the contractor; and

                  (ii)      are approved by the Board for payment:

                        1.      from money collected under § 1-310 of this subtitle; and

                        2.      directly to a third party contractor on behalf of a county.

      (c)      The guidelines established by the Board under subsection (b)(1) of this section:

            (1)      shall be based on available technology and equipment; and

            (2)      may be based on any other factor that the Board determines is appropriate, including population and area served by 9-1-1 systems.