Judging from support by the federal government and county voters, Emmet County's E911 system should be in pretty good shape sometime next year.
Emmet County Emergency Management Coordinator Terry Reekers met with the Emmet County Board of Supervisors Tuesday with an update on the $225,300 Assistance to Firefighters Grant which will go toward a $475,000 update of the county's E911 system.
Reekers said four VHF repeaters will cost $60,000 and be paid from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. Dispatcher consoles estimated at $30,000 will be paid from the E911 Wireless Grant.
That leaves a remaining project cost of $385,000. Of that, Emmet County E911 is responsible for $192,500, Emmet County $125,125 and the City of Estherville $67,375.
Emmet County will provide a 5 percent grant match from its E911 budget.
According to Reekers, the $30,000 from the E911 Wireless Surcharge Grant must be spent by this Dec. 31 and the AFG grant must be spent by November 2009.
The E911 surcharge increase which county voters passed in November will go into effect within the next 100 days and generate $132,000 over the two-year life of the increase.
"The grant was very beneficial to us," Reekers said.
The grant will pay for the repeaters and radios in the county dispatch center and mobile and portable radios for fire and EMS personnel. The repeater towers will be located at Armstrong, Ringsted and west of Estherville.
In other business Tuesday, the board held first reading of an ordinance establishing a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit on West 14th Ave. N.
Also approved were two water utility permits for Iowa Lakes Regional Water on the 130th Street right-of-way for the Dolliver waste discharge line in Lincoln Township.
The board also discussed proposed work on drainage ditch EPA No. 21.
The board approved a five-year agreement with Estherville Ambulance Service for $23,500 a year in county funding with the agreement effective with the 2009-10 fiscal year.