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Board approves county-funded school alert system amid deadline from outgoing vendor
Summary
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted to fund an emergency school alert system now and seek a memorandum of understanding with the school division, citing an outgoing vendor and a narrow window to avoid a coverage gap.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted July 23 to approve a county-funded emergency alert system for schools, directing the county attorney to review the vendor contract and instructing staff to pursue an MOU with the school division for operational cooperation.
Supervisor Meredith moved the measure, saying the board would approve funding with conditions including attorney review and a vendor activation date that starts the contract term. "My motion would be to approve the funding and I'll get the dollar amount, for this system to be installed schools with the stipulations of our county attorney to review the contract first and, second, to speak with the school system of MOU being in place as we move forward too," Supervisor Meredith said.
Sheriff Smith, who led the presentation, said the county faces a short window because the incumbent vendor is winding down service and a new contract could take three to six months to activate. "This was not a mandated law... Alyssa law in 04/02/2026," the sheriff said in explaining the statewide shift and the urgency to adopt a more robust alert capability. He also said the county was pursuing grant funding to offset costs.
Board members debated whether elementary schools should be included; the vendor's recommended "Option A" covers high school and middle school strobes, badges and beacons with an add-on path for additional sites. County staff told supervisors the one-time implementation cost would be paid from budget stabilization/reserves this year and the recurring cost would be built into the next operating budget; a $75,000 federal grant application could reimburse some implementation expenses if awarded.
After clarifying that the contract term would begin on system activation rather than signature date, the board approved the motion by roll-call vote. The item includes further steps: county attorney contract review, school-cooperation MOU, and follow-up budget reconciliation.
