Emergency management urges county to solicit bids for lithium UPS after spring storms; staff to prepare formal procurement

Emergency Management Director Amber Presley briefed the board on severe‑weather watches, hail reports and localized damage from storms in mid‑April and later weeks. Presley described how county spotters, dispatch and social media were used to coordinate watches and shelter openings and credited joint spotter operations with improved situational awareness.

Presley said the county’s diesel generator powers the radio room, EOC and other mission‑critical systems, but two legacy UPS (uninterruptible power supply) units and their batteries are at end of life. She presented two lead‑acid offers and a lithium‑ion offer (with longer service life) from two vendors and said IT director Brad Shymire had agreed to underwrite half the cost to get Brad’s server cage onto the shared UPS system.

Staff and commissioners discussed procurement rules. Because the aggregate cost exceeds $10,000, staff recommended formal solicitation. Commissioners directed staff to prepare bid specifications emphasizing lithium batteries and reasonable warranty/service terms and to publish the solicitation according to county purchasing rules. Presley will return with formal bids and a recommendation; no purchase was authorized at the April 27 meeting.

Presley also told the board about a small number of reported building and equipment damages (two outbuildings reported destroyed near Tint and Garner) and about a public distribution of weather radios (donated by Wolf Creek) for residents who request them.