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County OKs hazmat mutual‑aid agreement with Muscatine Fire Department at about $0.50 per resident
Summary
Supervisors approved an agreement with the Muscatine Fire Department for hazmat mutual‑aid response; discussion centered on raising the county contribution from $0.25 to $0.50 per resident (estimate ~$5,315/year based on a 10,630 population figure cited).
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors approved a mutual‑aid agreement with the Muscatine Fire Department to provide hazardous‑materials response support for incidents local departments cannot handle, the board said during its Dec. 9 meeting.
Board members discussed the fee model underpinning the agreement. Members said the county’s prior contribution was $0.25 per resident; a proposed change to $0.50 per resident was discussed and described as a modest increase compared with surrounding communities. Using a population figure the board cited (10,630 residents), the $0.50-per‑resident rate was calculated in the meeting to produce roughly $5,315 annually.
Speaker 6 explained that mutual‑aid agreements cover tanker spills and other incidents that exceed local fire‑department capacity and noted that mobilization times for outside teams can vary. Supervisor discussion focused on balancing a modest per‑resident fee against the potentially high cost of a single major hazmat incident.
The board moved that the chair sign the agreement and approved the motion by voice vote. The transcript includes a small numeric inconsistency in spoken amounts ($5,315 vs. $5,319 in different lines); the $5,315 figure corresponds to the $0.50-per‑resident calculation cited in the meeting.
Next steps: The chair was authorized to sign the agreement; staff will include the annual fee in upcoming budgets.
