When a major disaster strikes in the county, communication is going to be a key component of any successful response operation. Of course, it helps to also have a vehicle that can carry you to the disaster so you can communicate about it.

To that end, the Limestone County Emergency Management Agency has requested the Limestone County Commission help provide the funding necessary to upgrade the phone system in its mobile command post and provide a new vehicle for the department. Rita White, director of the local EMA, said the current phone system is separate from other department systems, including EMA’s.

This means that when something happens that requires a county department to use the MCP as part of its response plan, “it’s not easy to set up and phone numbers — everything — is different,” White said. “It’s not what we need.”

According to EMA’s annual budget request, an upgrade would cost $16,900 total, with 30% of the cost covered through funds received annually by EMA from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The upgrade would allow any county department who uses the MCP to simply unplug a phone from their office and plug it into the post, then continue as if they were still working from the office, White said.

“It would be a big improvement — a huge improvement, in fact — over what we have in there,” she said, adding it could be used for everything from the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office at a major crime scene to the Limestone County License Commissioner’s Office in the parking lot of a courthouse annex.

“We can set it up for any agency that needs it … (for) things that are going to be more of a long-term response,” she said.

In addition to TVA helping with the cost of the phone system upgrade, TVA funds would also help cover the cost of a new vehicle for EMA. The proposed budget includes a request for commissioners to provide $21,864.50, or 50%, of the $43,729 needed for a new Ford F-250 4×4 Diesel.

The truck they’re aiming to replace has more than 130,000 miles on it and “was purchased with Homeland Security funds years ago,” White said. “But they no longer fund vehicles, so we’re not able to replace it with those kinds of funds any longer.”

“Because we’re emergency response, we need vehicles that are in good condition and run well,” she said. “When we get to where we’re having problems with our vehicles, we try to replace them at that point so we know they’re going to run when we need them.”

If funding for a replacement vehicle is approved, White said the older vehicle would likely be transferred to a different county department.

The costs of a truck and new phone system are part of the $309,921 total requested by EMA for fiscal year 2021, a 4.9% increase over last year’s request.

Other requests

The following are some of the other appropriation requests heard by the commission in July:

• Information Technology — $596,206.04 total, a 1.2% decrease from last year’s appropriation, which includes a reduction in funding for salaries, benefits and travel expenses but an increase in funding for computer equipment, communication services and training/educational services, as well as a $35,000 request to purchase a motor vehicle;

• Revenue Commission — $780,842 total, a 3.9% increase, including a request for additional funding for operating leases, postage expenses and employee benefits;

• Appraisal Department — $1,374,305 total, an 8.5% increase, which includes a $7,340 request for a microfilm scanner;

• Cowford Campground — $161,160 total, a 15% decrease, including a $13,600 reduction in funding for maintenance of buildings and land plus a request for no funding for buildings and miscellaneous equipment; and

• Parks and Recreation — $25,150 total, a 0.6% decrease, with the only change being a $170.08 reduction in funding for temporary help.