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Germantown trustees weigh cutting daily siren tests, pursue partial grant for software upgrade
Summary
Trustees discussed reducing daily emergency-siren tests to a weekly "growl" test, pending a potential Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) grant to fund a remote-software upgrade covering 15 sites. Staff said the upgrade costs about $100,000 and the grant would cover roughly half; a decision is expected in December.
Germantown trustees discussed on-going emergency alert siren procedures and a potential grant application to enable remote testing and control.
Trustee Baum said the board had tabled the item last month and asked staff for options. Chief Martin, reporting for public safety, described current testing: daily noon revolutions and a seven-revolution test on Saturdays. Martin said many neighboring communities test monthly or weekly and recommended switching from daily full tests to a weekly "growl" test, which winds the siren motors and then stops to clear corrosion without sounding the full alarm.
"My suggestion would be to just do the growl test," Chief Martin said, adding, "I think it'd be fine to do that once a week, not every day." The board discussed which weekday would be least disruptive; Martin suggested Wednesday, while another trustee favored Saturday when most residents are home to report failures.
Staff described the proposed technical upgrade and funding. Martin said the software upgrade to allow National Weather Service-compatible remote activation would cover 15 siren sites and cost about $100,000. He said the village board has approved applying for a grant that would pay roughly 50% of that software upgrade; staff have submitted a draft application to WEDC and expect to know whether funding will be awarded by December.
The discussion also touched on hardware needs. Martin said the grant being pursued covers the remote/software component and not full hardware replacement, though he has added next year's battery replacement to the grant request. Trustees recalled a past multi-siren battery replacement expense that was substantially higher; staff noted that older replacements required multiple components beyond batteries.
Because the item was on the agenda as discussion only, trustees did not take formal action but asked the chair to bring the matter to the public safety committee as an action item so a vote can be taken if desired. The board directed staff to provide quotes from vendors and to return with an update after the WEDC decision.
If implemented, the recommended change would move Germantown from daily audible noon tests to a less intrusive routine intended to preserve equipment life and reduce nuisance noise while retaining the ability to remotely activate the system in an actual emergency.
