Launching an enhanced 911 system capable of tracking wireless customers making emergency calls was a move that made Hawai'i safer and the 66-cent monthly fee that financed it an excellent investment. Rescuers, for example, can reach the scene of a disaster or find lost hikers more quickly using such a system.

Now it's time, however, to give the consumer some relief.

The state-authorized fee, established more than three years ago, has paid for the deployment of the equipment across the state —$3.79 million spent to finish 93 percent of the system — and has created a $19 million surplus.

The state Wireless Enhanced 911 Board and lawmakers who will sign off on any changes are mulling over what to do.

On the one hand, state Sen. Sam Slom, R-8th (Kahala, Hawai'i Kai) and others argue that with the fund in place the fee can be safely eliminated — even a rebate could be possible.

Board members are not so sure. At least part of that fund is going to be tapped for maintenance of the system, they say, and it's still unclear how much money is enough to fund that.

They're right: It seems premature to erase the fee altogether when the state is still learning what improvements and upkeep may be needed.

Hawai'i legislators need to move cautiously when they reconvene for the next regular session in January. There may be some pressure to tap the fund for other projects. But that impulse should be resisted, even if these are missions related to emergency services or public safety.

The fee should be sharply reduced, at least for the first year, allowing the fund to be used for its intended purpose — the development and upkeep of a wireless 911 network. Current board proposals for using the surplus to build remote communications towers, expand the system to callers with Internet-based phone services and boost coverage in government buildings seem reasonable.

Then, after the fund is spent down and operational budget projections are refined, the fee could be further lowered to reflect actual costs.

Fees and taxes enable government to meet its public duty, but part of that duty is to tap the consumer pocketbook no more than necessary.