Monticello Live

The Monticello City Council met Tuesday evening, and discussed locations of the weather warnig sirens, passed a resolution authorizing the use of city property for the placement of weather warning sirens, and approved money to pay for the City’s Code Red weather warning system.

 They also listened to Drew County Judge Robert Akin’s suggestion to not renew the annual contract with the company until further consideration.

This resolution gives the City’s approval to install weather warning sirens at the Monticello Fire Training Center, Country Club Water Tower, Western Pines Park, Old Troy Road Water Tower and Monticello Sports Complex, and gives Mayor Rogers the authority to execute easements for installment of these sirens. .

The proposed locations at all but one of the rest of the 27 locations in the city and county have received owners permission for the towers, including Drew Memorial Hospital, the new Drew County Library, the Courthouse, and UAM.

Mayor Joe Rogers asked whether the City owned locations were the best locations for the sirens, or if they were being placed at those locations simply because that’s where public property was located.

The original locations were mapped by a GPS system that was less accurate than the current system; however, the locations are still very nearly the same, and accurate.

Drew County Judge Robert Akin addressed the Council to request that the City pay their portion of the Code Red Warning System. The total bill for the City of Monticello for the warning system is $6,444.66. This averages approximately $0.68 per person. Judge Akin explained the original agreement that had been worked out with the late Mayor Alan Maxwell, as well as the mayors of the other incorporated cities in Drew County. The original agreement had been that each incorporated city would pay for the citizens living there, and the County would pay for everyone else. Judge Akin stated that to date, each incorporated town in Drew County has paid their share, with the exception of Monticello and one Wilmar.

Judge Akin also discussed with the Council whether to continue with the Code Red warning system. He explained that the County is in a one-year contract with the CodeRED company, and that a 60 day written notice is required to terminate that contract at the end of the one year period. Judge Akin expressed that he was only somewhat pleased with the way the system has functioned thus far, but that CodeRED is constatly improving their system.

Judge Akin recommended that at the end of the one year period, which will be in March or April, the County and its cities submit their 60 day written notice to terminate their contract. In that 60 day period, if CodeRED improves their services and the system functions better than it has to date, then the County and cities can always enter into a new contract with them.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2014 at 7:57 am and is filed under City, Weather. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.