Commission recommends no change

    The Washington Emergency Management Commission voted unanimously to recommend an assessment of $1.37 per person for their 2010-11 budget at its meeting Thursday night at the sheriff?s office. The assessment is the same as it was for the 2009-10 budget. The public hearing on the commission?s budget was set for Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the sheriff?s office.

    The commission discussed what would happen next year after the 2010 census will have been released. Commission member and County Supervisor Steve Davis said that the county?s population will likely increase from the current figure of 20,670 residents. Larry Smith, the emergency management coordinator for Washington and Keokuk counties, said that the commission may be able to reduce its assessment if the 2010 census reveals a population increase.

    Each town in the county pays the commission $1.37 for each of its residents, and rural residents pay the County. The assessment provides the commission with revenue of approximately $28,300.

    The commission listened to a presentation by the Washington County Amateur Radio Club concerning a request for funds to purchase radio equipment. Mark Lukins and Earl McClure, both members of the club, said that they are applying for a grant from the Riverboat Foundation to purchase two completely portable amateur radio stations. They asked the commission for $1,250 to help with the purchase.

    Lukins told the commission that the portable radios would be very useful in a disaster, especially when traditional lines of communication don?t have power.

    ?We?ll be there whenever there is an emergency. We?ll be at the county?s beck and call,? said Lukins. ?Time is of the essence in an emergency, and we could respond much faster if we had mobile equipment.? 

    The two club members said there are approximately 35-40 privately owned amateur radios (or ?ham radios?) in the county. They said that the club recently purchased a new antenna with greater range than the old antennae. McClure said that he can talk with people from other states and even other countries with the ham radio the club uses now.

For the full article, see our Jan. 29 print edition.