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Germantown trustees reject two proposals for outdoor warning system upgrades; direct staff to get removal and maintenance quotes
Summary
Trustees failed to approve either a $22,699 “bare-bones” upgrade or a higher-cost full upgrade to the village’s outdoor warning system. Board members debated cost, obsolescence and public-safety needs and directed staff to collect quotes for dismantling and short-term maintenance instead of approving new equipment tonight.
Trustees of the Village of Germantown voted down two competing proposals to upgrade the village outdoor warning system and directed staff to get cost estimates for removing the system or maintaining it short-term.
Supporters and opponents of purchasing new equipment exchanged views tonight on whether the village should replace aging siren equipment. One trustee raised a precautionary rationale, saying the board should not “table it just because we have been going around for months” and warned that “it could happen at any time.” Another trustee said they opposed spending more village dollars because the technology will become obsolete and they did not want to spend “another penny of the village’s dollars on these.”
The board first considered a lower-cost option described in the meeting as a “bare-bones” package at $22,699. Trustee Pieper seconded the motion to approve that option, but the motion failed after members voted in opposition. A subsequent motion to approve the higher-cost “Version A” — described in the discussion as a “hundred and something thousand dollar option” — also failed.
After both motions failed, trustees discussed two practical follow-ups. Captain Martin confirmed the village did not budget for a purchase this year and that the item “was not put in the budget.” Trustees asked whether the village should continue paying the annual maintenance agreement for the existing sirens if it decided not to replace them. A vendor-sounding speaker in the record advised that wooden poles can deteriorate over time and suggested the village “watch those poles since wood poles are gonna deteriorate over time” and recommended getting a removal quote to avoid risks such as a pole falling.
Rather than approving new equipment, trustees asked staff to obtain two cost estimates: one to dismantle and remove the system and one to maintain it for one year. The board also referenced an existing quote for annual maintenance that it had been holding off on while deciding on system status.
No purchase motion passed this meeting. Trustees left open options to pursue removal, to maintain the current system short-term, or to revisit procurement when more information is available.
Trustees noted safety considerations and budget constraints but did not adopt a replacement plan tonight. Staff will return with removal and maintenance quotes for further consideration.
