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Elkhart Board of Public Safety OKs $101,134 radio purchase; 9-1-1 center to switch siren tests to Thursdays
Summary
The Board of Public Safety approved a $101,134.52 purchase of 13 replacement portable radios for the police department, placed routine commission minutes and a $477,154.46 claims docket on file, and heard that the 9-1-1 center will start weekly outdoor siren testing at 2 p.m. on Thursdays beginning in April.
The Elkhart City Board of Public Safety on March 17 approved a $101,134.52 purchase of 13 replacement portable Motorola APX 70 radios for the police department and authorized Captain Snyder to sign the contract. The purchase, the chief said, is at a state bid price and will be paid from capital funds.
Chief Dan Melanes told the board the purchase had been reviewed by legal and asked the board to approve it. "That is gonna be the amount there as you see is $101,134.52," Melanes said. A board member moved to approve the purchase, another seconded, and the moderator declared the motion carried.
The board also approved a claim and allowance docket totaling $477,154.46. The clerk reported the docket consisted of eight pages compiled with a timestamp on 03/17; a motion to approve the docket passed without a roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.
During the police department update, Melanes described the department's expanded community-policing efforts and singled out Detective Kenny Lanowitz for outreach to elderly groups and public education about financial scams. "Anything we could do to get out there to help people, before they're becoming victims," Melanes said, describing talks and neighborhood outreach led by officers.
Communications staff reported staffing and operational changes for Elkhart emergency communications. Dustin McLean of the 9-1-1 center said three new hires will start "next Monday, the 30th" and that, in collaboration with the fire department, the city will change its outdoor early-warning siren testing schedule to weekly activations at 2 p.m. every Thursday beginning in April. "If you start hearing the sirens in Elkhart, do not panic," McLean said, noting the change follows recent testing that revealed a single siren with issues.
The board placed police and fire merit commission minutes from January and February/March on file and opened public participation; no substantive public comments were recorded in the meeting transcript. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.
Votes at a glance - Agenda approval: motion moved and seconded; chair/motion declared carried (no roll-call tally in transcript). - Minutes: motion to approve minutes passed; the motion referenced 03/10/2020 while the clerk said minutes from 03/10/2026 were distributed (date discrepancy noted in record). - Claim and allowance docket: $477,154.46 approved (motion passed; tally not recorded). - Police radio purchase: 13 Motorola APX 70 radios, $101,134.52; motion passed; authorization given for Captain Snyder to sign (tally not recorded). - Merit commission minutes: placed on file (motion passed).
Next steps and context The radio purchase is budgeted from capital funds, according to the chief. The 9-1-1 hires and the new siren-test schedule are operational changes announced by communications staff; the transcript does not record additional public comment or a formal board vote on those operational items. The board adjourned at the end of the session.
