Published: January 15, 2009 09:06 am      

Sirens are ordered for county

DEWITT — Emergency sirens to cover almost all of Clinton County’s small towns and rural area were ordered at a meeting of the Emergency Management Commission here recently.

Total cost of the contract with RC Systems of Waterloo, to be not more than $300,000, was approved by the representatives of 10 incorporated cities: Andover, Calamus, Camanche, Charlotte, Clinton, DeWitt, Grand Mound, Lost Nation and Low Moor, plus the Clinton County Board of Supervisors and sheriff’s office.

Absent were representatives of Delmar, Goose Lake, Toronto and Wheatland.

A down payment of $20,943 (10 percent of the price of the materials) also was approved 12-0.

Chance Kness, coordinator of the commission, said there was enough money in his working budget to cover the payment. He will then file a budget amendment to transfer funds from the roll over account to reimburse the working budget.

Kness also suggested that the cost of the alarm system and its maintenance be brought into the Emergency Management budget to ensure continuity.

Jill Davisson, chairwoman of the commission and a member of the County Board of Supervisors, noted the price of even one siren (listed at $5,740 on the invoice) and its maintenance would be cost prohibitive for many of the smaller cities.

She suggested that the supervisors impose a countywide levy to pay for the alarm system and its maintenance. That would also ensure that the siren project was seen as a long-term project, she said.

Kness said he will be seeking a grant from the Clinton County Community Development Association for 50 percent of the cost of the project.

He also noted that five of the cities involved have been identified as being eligible for the United States Department of Agriculture’s rural development grants, ranging from 15 to 55 percent of their cost.

He said Wheatland has already applied for a grant and he urged the others to do so immediately. The USDA office is available to help, he said.

The towns which are eligible, based on their population according to the 2000 census and their median income at that time, are Andover, Delmar, Lost Nation, Wheatland and Toronto.

The county levy would be based on the total cost of the project, Davisson said. If grants are received, the levy would be reduced once a sustainable and appropriate maintenance fund was created.

Even though the basic cost of the alarm system will be funded through a county levy, there will be some expenses to the cities, Kness pointed out, such as providing a location for the siren and running power to it.

There also are options for the cities to consider. For example a noon whistle would cost approximately $500 or a push button to set off the siren would cost approximately $150.



Other business

In other business:

• Kness told the commissioners that currently if he leaves the county to aid other counties in a disaster, he is not covered by Clinton County’s workers compensation insurance.

He asked for a Resolution of Cooperation to spell out that he could be available to help if his assistance is requested by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division.

The resolution also states that his salary and expenses will be paid by Clinton County for seven days. His assistance for longer than seven days would require a written agreement with the other county.

Commission members offered to expand the cooperation to include requested assistance even if the emergency has not been declared a disaster. A clause was also suggested calling for the approval of the commission’s chairman.

The commission approved the proposal providing the changes are approved by the county attorney.

• The commissioners approved a 28E agreement with the Clinton County Communications Commission that would allow the Emergency Management group to levy a countywide tax to replace the current funding system for the communications agency.

Currently, Clinton County and the city of Clinton each pay 42 percent of the budget, while DeWitt pays 10 percent and Camanche 8 percent.

“The percentage paid by each entity has no clear basis on population or any other easily identifiable source,” Kness told his group.

In answer to a question about the money raised by the 911 surcharge on phone bills, Sheriff Rick Lincoln said that money pays for equipment. The wages of personnel in the communications room in the Law Center has come from the budgets of the larger cities and the county.

The vote on the motion to accept the 28E agreement was 11-1, with Mayor Dan Behr saying he could not support the plan without knowing how much the levy would be.

• Several changes were proposed in the Emergency Management bylaws, which were last approved in 1996. Most changes were minor; others were added to provide for the 28E agreement with the Communications Commission. The changes were given a first reading and will be considered again in February.

• Kness also asked his commissioners to rescind several motions, which were passed during the service of a previous coordinator.

A 1994 motion stipulated that the assistant’s salary should be raised to 80 percent of the coordinator’s salary. Kness said the motion was outdated because it linked the salary of one individual to that of another individual, neither one of which is still employed by the commission.

A 2001 motion instructed the coordinator to have a carryover balance of no more than $15,000. Davisson gave a brief explanation on the situation that existed at that time and the commission voted to rescind the motion.

The commission will meet again in the DeWitt library at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5.