The gift-card analogy
Allotment is a gift card. TD-288 is cashier approval. TD-284 is the delivery receipt.
The State Emergency Telephone Number Account (SETNA) funds a standard 9-1-1 call-handling system on a roughly five-year cycle. Staffing, facility, and most furniture outside residual scope stay local.
Call-volume methodology (Chapter III) places a PSAP in Fixed Allotment levels 2–5 from measured ECaTS volume. Official dollars always come from the Branch letter — never from an estimator, a vendor, or hallway memory.
Direct vs reimbursement
Prefer direct funding (vendor invoices the Branch) when Chapter III allows it. TD-290 is the path when the agency paid first.