Emergency management studies water pressure and clarifies county drone use; cost details and storage discussed

At the May 5 Claiborne County Board meeting the emergency management director reported progress on diagnosing low water pressure issues and answered supervisors’ questions about the county drone’s procurement, purchase funding source and custody.

The emergency management director told the board the office was working with the city and with outside contractors to determine why the county’s water pressure was low; outside contractors suggested taking water from a different outside source might increase pressure. The director said a full price estimate for corrective work was not yet available and that he was awaiting additional vendor quotes.

Board members asked about the county drone: staff said the drone was purchased with energy funds for emergency-management use, that it had been used previously, and that it should be kept in the emergency management office. The director said he could not recall the exact purchase price at the meeting; one speaker recalled being told an older drone cost “over $56,000” though the director did not confirm that number and said he would retrieve the purchase paperwork.

Supervisors also asked whether the drone could be used for community events; staff replied that the drone was for official emergency-management duties and not for personal or unrelated recreational uses. The director said a drone policy would be drafted or has been drafted and that staff would provide additional details when available.

No binding procurement actions or funding allocations for the water work were approved at the May 5 meeting; staff said they would return with cost estimates and a request for next steps when vendor quotes are complete.