EMA asks council to add siren‑replacement line after frequent failures

Delaware County emergency management staff proposed creating a dedicated budget line to cover repairs and partial replacement of the county’s network of outdoor tornado sirens, telling the council that many units are old, fail routine weekly tests and sometimes require staff to make visual inspections.

Staff described weekly countywide siren testing (the 11 a.m. test) and said they increasingly find units that do not sound. They reported 28–34 sirens across the county, with some owned or maintained by towns or Ball State. County staff said full replacement of a siren — including pole reset, wiring and the new siren — runs roughly $25,000 to $35,000, while repairs such as replacement fuses or circuit boards can range from about $25 up to a few thousand dollars. Lightning damage, in particular, was cited as a common reason for expensive repairs.

To begin addressing the expected cost, staff proposed creating a new repairs and maintenance line for tornado sirens and moving $5,000 from an overtime savings line to create an initial $10,000 balance. The new line would be used for minor repairs and as a seed for future larger replacements; staff noted the redevelopment commission helped fund at least one recent full replacement in a town.

Council members asked for a map and inventory of siren ownership and responsibility, because some units sit on township or municipal property and other entities (town governments or Ball State) maintain a subset. Staff said they would provide the inventory and expected costs by siren so the council could consider a multi‑year replacement strategy.

Ending: Emergency management staff asked the council to approve an initial $10,000 repair/replacement line and to review a siren inventory and cost estimate at a future meeting so the county can plan replacements over multiple years.