9‑1‑1 update: address validation improves to 90% but county and town disagree over siren upkeep

Staff and the sheriff briefed the commission on a 9‑1‑1 advisory meeting that produced new address‑validation maps and a much higher verification rate. The sheriff said the county’s GIS contractor moved address validation from about 30% to roughly 90% using seven verification platforms and improved maps showing access points for long rural driveways — features officials said will aid NextGen 9‑1‑1 and first responders.

At the same time, commissioners spent a large portion of the meeting debating who owns and must maintain the town of Terry’s outdoor warning siren. The sheriff clarified that the siren is town property (bought by the Terry Fire Department in 2003) but has been used in county alerts; recent controller failures and mixed responsibility for programming have left the siren in need of repair. "The town bought it... it's theirs to pay for, not mine, not ours," the sheriff said, but he also said the county has provided maintenance historically and he remains concerned about night‑time coverage and the siren’s effectiveness across town.

Commissioners discussed lower‑cost redundancy options (smaller outdoor alert units placed at county and town properties), potential grant funding, and forming a single operational authority or memorandum of understanding so there is one responsible party for activation and upkeep. They asked staff to meet face‑to‑face with town leaders and DES representatives to clarify responsibilities, costs and whether to plan county contributions if grants are not available.

Next steps: staff will prepare a short implementation plan showing cost estimates for additional small sirens, a list of needed controller repairs, and options to formalize control/maintenance with the town or DES. The address‑validation work will be shared with dispatch and first responder agencies to prepare systems for NextGen 9‑1‑1.