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Mayor says aging sirens need $240,000 upgrade; city won’t apply for grant now, pushes HyperReach sign-ups
Summary
City officials described aging outdoor warning sirens with obsolete parts and a $240,000 upgrade estimate, said the city chose not to apply for a grant because of budget constraints and an unresolved auditor recovery plan, and urged residents to sign up for HyperReach phone alerts.
Marion City officials told the council Tuesday that the city’s network of outdoor warning sirens is aging, parts are obsolete and a recent estimate to upgrade the system was $240,000.
Mayor Collins and administration staff said monthly tests show the sirens generally operate but one station’s enunciator produced low volume at the May test. The administration said the upgrade estimate was $240,000 and that the city’s share under the grant rules would have been roughly $60,000 (a 25% match); the city reported it could only document about $5,000 in in-kind labor toward that match and, with the city’s budget constraints and an outstanding auditor recovery-plan review, decided not to pursue that particular grant at this time.
Officials emphasized the city is promoting HyperReach, a cell-phone and landline alert system, as a near-term approach to reach residents. Staff said HyperReach can send voice notifications to landlines and that sign-ups are pushed at public events; they said they will provide the council with the current HyperReach registration numbers at a future meeting.
During public comment, resident Lonnie Daniels of 608 Street asked whether the fire levy could be used to pay for siren repairs. The fire chief and other staff replied that levy funds were presented to voters and allocated for stations and vehicles and that the levy language and the city’s 30-year spending projection had not included siren replacement as a planned use. The chief said maintenance on some sirens is provided by the city electrician, and the city is also exploring other grant opportunities though prior EMA (Emergency Management) grant attempts by multiple jurisdictions have been unsuccessful, officials said.
Council members raised equity concerns about relying solely on phone-based alerts because some residents — particularly older adults with basic “flip” phones or landlines — may not receive app-based messages. Officials reiterated they will run the existing sirens as long as possible, continue HyperReach outreach and keep seeking funding options.
At the end of the discussion the council did not adopt new funding but directed staff to return with HyperReach sign-up statistics and to keep exploring funding avenues.
