The City of Salem Board of Aldermen met Aug. 27 for its regularly scheduled meeting, during which Police Chief Joe Chase shared information regarding a contract between INdigital Inc. that would allow the Salem Police Department to improve 9-1-1 services, including presenting citizens the ability to text 9-1-1. Present for the meeting were mayor Greg Parker, aldermen Kala Sisco, John Whelan, Shawn Bolerjack, and Catherine Dent.
In new and miscellaneous business, Resolution No. 19-2024 would allow the city to execute a 9-1-1 services and software license agreement between INdigital Inc. and the Salem Police Department. Chief Chase shared information with the aldermen regarding the new services afforded by INdigital Inc.
NG911 is an emergency communication system that operates in the cloud and utilizes Internet Protocol (IP) technology. It consists of ESinets (Emergency Services IP Networks) that enable seamless transition of 911 calls and sharing of information among existing 911 systems and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). This system also allows call centers to receive various forms of multimedia communications, including locations, texts, videos, and pictures.
The city was reached out to by representatives from the state’s 911 Board in April 2023, regarding the state providing grant funding for “red counties”, or underserved counties lacking technological infrastructure. The goal of the program was to bring text to 9-1-1 to the 13 county region in southern Missouri. The thirteen counties (Dent, Shannon, Oregon, Carter, Ripley, Perry, Bollinger, Madison, Wayne, Reynolds, St. Francois, St. Genevieve, and Iron) will have a network connection allowing information sharing among them.
“It allows for text to 9-1-1, and it allows for an immediate close-range GPS ping,” stated Chase. “Typically, if we ping someone in an emergency situation, we’ll get a 1,200 meter radius. With the Next Gen 911, you get a 10 meter radius. They’ve already found out how effective the program is. There was a guy in Crawford County last year that was able to be saved on the river. He couldn’t get [a call] out on his cell phone, but he could get out a text to 911.”
Chase shared the department met with county commissioners from several other counties south of Salem to the southern border to discuss the benefits of the system and discuss what the state of Missouri was willing to provide per Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).
There are two PSAPs within Dent County, relayed Chase, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Salem Police Department. Due to the proximity and infrastructure in place from the two PSAPs, a decision was made to make Dent County the head county for the 13 county region. Due to there being two PSAPs, the county was also qualified to receive a $250,000 grant, per location. This would be a no-cost grant, reported Chase.
The department spent the last year and a half answering and submitting questions to the state’s 911 Board technicians to address concerns. Equipment audits have been completed on what the Dent County Sheriff’s Office has, what the City of Salem has, and what every other county that’s part of the 13-county region has. The result of the audit showed Dent County was in better shape than the majority of every other county, said Chase.
Fiscal impacts will not occur to the city for five years, due to the federal ARPA grant combined with allocated state funding. Maintenance costs will be shared between the 13 counties utilizing the 911 system. The cost to the city will be a little under $20,000, starting in year six. Chase shared the cost could vary between $6,000 to $20,000.
Chase also shared that the two PSAPs in Dent County are some of the last PSAPs to sign off on the contract. Chase shared there has been a deep, meticulous dive into the contract.
“When they say there’s zero cost to us, we’re ensuring there is zero cost to us,” said Chase, on the contract.
City Attorney James Weber stated he has reviewed Dent County’s agreement as well as the city’s agreement. INdigital has already given concessions to the county on warranty issues; it will be giving the same concessions to the city. Part of the reason the contract was a late addition to the tentative agenda was due to a question on a further concession requested by the city, regarding the choice of laws stated within the contract, cited Weber. Weber noted that there are different places within the contract referring to the choice of laws being the state of Indiana, where INdigital Inc. is located. INdigital has agreed to change the choice of laws to the state of Missouri. He informed the aldermen that if they are to approve the contract, it would be needed to be approved with that caveat.
Once the contracts are approved, there is discussion of getting the 13-county region established in mid-October to Nov. 1, starting with equipment installation. The Sheriff’s Office will be the first to receive equipment upgrades.
911 dispatchers will also need to receive Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certification. The certification would require training in a 40-hour program signed off by a doctor. There are times the dispatchers will need to go beyond rudimentary first aid and engage in more extensive life-saving measures.
The resolution was approved unanimously by the board, with the caveat that the contract will be amended to include being governed by laws in Missouri.
There will be a street closure from the Courthouse to the football field for the Football Kickoff Parade, 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6. Sisco presented the information to the board on behalf of the presenter, who was absent. The board approved the street closure unanimously.
Backhoe bid approval
The current backhoe used by the construction department doesn’t meet the requirements for today’s safety and quality standards, stated City Administrator Sally Burbridge. Construction has put over $7,000 into repairs for the backhoe—and it still does not meet requirements. A new backhoe would aid in efficiency and safety.
Only one bid for a used backhoe was received that fit within the budget while also providing a warranty. Seven bids in total were received. Two other bids may have featured lower pricing, but they did not provide a warranty and had more hours of use. The department recommended the bid from McCoy Construction & Forestry for the 2016 John Deere 310 FL HL in the amount of $74,000. Crewmen have reviewed the machine in-person and verified that it would meet the department’s needs. The board unanimously approved the recommended bid.
Resolution No. 21-2024 would modify Resolution No. 4-2022 to incorporate changes in the Affordable Housing Program modified agreement for the Welcome Home 2021 Project. If approved, the grant amount would be lowered from the original $500,000 to $300,000; the targeted number of units for the program would be lowered from 25 to 15; and the extension would move the completion date for the program to Feb. 1, 2025. The board approved the modifications, with Bolerjack, Whelan, and Dent approving, and Sisco abstaining.
Reports of City Officials
Finance Director Stacey Houston
Houston provided a financial update to the board. She reported that total sales tax revenues collected through August 2024 are $678,319, which include the general fund, parks and recreation fund, and capital improvement fund. This is up 2% from the same time frame as last year.
Utilities usage and revenues are through July 2024. Electric kWh’s sold is 4,598,428 million kWh’s, which is down compared to the same time frame as last year. Revenues billed are $646,369.
Water consumption sold is 11,190,045 million gallons, which is also down compared to the same time frame as last year. Revenues billed are $74,399.
Sewer consumption sold is 9,694,571 million gallons. Revenues billed are $94,471.
The fund balance summary shows data through July 31. The total of all funds is $10,923,691.
City Administrator Sally Burbridge
The city is applying for a grant through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for replacement of city storm sirens. A notice of intent for the grant was submitted to SEMA, with the city working with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to do so. MRPC informed Burbridge Salem has a good chance of being funded, as the city has a need for storm siren replacements.
Mayor Greg Parker
Parker noted that there have been a lot of roofing projects going on in the community. Parker, along with public works staff, have been finding roofing nails in city streets. He reminded citizens to request their contractors go over building locations with a magnet to see if they can find anything, ideally to reduce tire damages within the city. On that note, Burbridge reminded that roofing requires a building permit due to safety concerns.
Parks and Recreation Director Melissa DuBois
DuBois announced that Parks and Recreation is partnering with Parson’s Chiropractic to bring a hot air balloon festival to Salem—there will be food trucks and a craft fair at Al Brown 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Oct. 26.
The pool liner has been successfully installed by Westport Pools. Maintenance is still wrapping up, but the installation of the liner is finished. The pool will be winterized as there is no time or staff to open it, said DuBois. Staff are looking forward to next season.
DuBois reported that when she was visiting the pool recently, she heard running water when there should not have been any running water. A leak was discovered underneath the building. The water was shut off and the leak was addressed. Staff are removing a valve and removing part of the plumbing. DuBois reports the leak was caught in time.
