Tom Smith, Seven Fields borough manager, in asking the Butler County commissioners to implement a 311 phone system to complement the county’s 911 emergency network, is missing an important point.

Educating borough residents — and residents of the county’s other municipalities — when or when not to call 911 would be better than the county incurring the costs associated with establishing and maintaining a 311 program.

It’s understandable why Smith made his request. Vandalism in the borough this year has been a costly, as well as a troubling, concern.

Smith is convinced that some suspicious activity is not being reported by borough residents because they don’t think the 911 system is for that purpose when, in fact, it is.

For next summer — and even for any other part of the year — Smith and members of the borough council should prepare an informational packet for all borough households, both noting what has occurred this year and making clear when calling 911 is appropriate and when it isn’t.

The benefits of that approach would be immediate. Even if the commissioners were agreeable to a 311 system and the money were available, it presumably would take months, or years, to implement.

Judging from all that occurred this year, Seven Fields doesn’t have the luxury of a long wait. And the borough park and other facilities aren’t immune to vandalism just because the hot-weather months of the year are over.

“The bottom line is that there’s a reluctance of residents in southwestern Butler County to utilize 911 in a non-emergency situation,” Smith said. “If someone’s having a heart attack or traffic accident, people will obviously call 911.

“But if we have a situation where someone is doing something suspicious and it’s not really an emergency, people aren’t calling 911 to get a police response.”

That might be so, but it’s every municipality’s responsibility to educate its residents on the do’s and don’ts of 911, as well as other services. The county shouldn’t be asked to spend money unnecessarily when there are other viable options.

According to Smith, the 311 phone system already is in place in a number of counties and municipalities across the state, including Allegheny County.

But while 311 might be right for places like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, which have a large volume of emergency calls, for more rural counties such as Butler the 911 system should be capable of handling the nonemergency calls Smith describes.

That said, Smith shouldn’t be faulted for bringing up the topic. Perhaps there are similar feelings in other municipalities. There’s no problem with talking about the topic.

Regardless, for now, Smith and Seven Fields would be better off with a public education effort that would assure residents that suspicious activity is a 911 matter. And Smith, who has sent a letter to the county commissioners requesting a meeting to discuss the subject, should be granted that meeting to present his concerns and to learn the commissioners’ viewpoints directly.

Smith is to be commended for his concern over Seven Fields’ well-being and his desire to discourage criminal activity. However, he should begin addressing the issue in Seven Fields and not request outside help if it might not be necessary.