Emergency Management/911 Commission/Communications Commission Meeting Minutes
Wednesday April 9th, 2025, 6:00 PM
Washington County EOC – Emergency Communications Building
2183 Lexington Blvd., Washington IA 52353
In attendance: Richard Young, Mark Robe, Cara Sorrells, Ryan Miller, Jack Seward Jr., Roy Felts, Melvin Rich, Allen Schneider, Jared Schneider, and Millie Youngquist.
At 6:01 PM, Chairman Ryan Miller called the Emergency Management Commission meeting to order.
A roll call was conducted, and a quorum was present. Present were representatives from Brighton, Crawfordsville, Kalona, Riverside, Washington, Wellman, The Sheriff’s Office, and the Board of Supervisors. Absent were representatives from Ainsworth and West Chester. The approval of the agenda was requested. Roy Felts made a motion to approve the agenda. Mark Robe seconded the motion, and the agenda was approved with no one opposed. Chairman Miller then requested a motion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting, dated March 11th, 2025. Millie Youngquist made a motion to approve the minutes. Richard Young seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.
The first item on the agenda was the Hazard Mitigation Plan update. Sheriff Schneider had been looking into it and it is past due. One subject he reached out to said it expired in January 2024, and typically the state will only do 12 months’ extensions (which we are outside of). Jack Stinogel is a Hazard Mitigation Planner with HSEMD and he said that FEMA does not extend plans, so it will not be valid until it’s been updated and approved. He said that most FEMA grant programs do not require a current Hazard Mitigation plan, except hazard mitigation assistance (HMA) grants, so there’s not an immediate rush. There are also grants available to pay for plan updates. It appears that Marissa was working on this project with the intern as there are notes made on the documentation that was found in her office. There were a few people mentioned who do these updates – Two Rivers, ECICOG, and Ben Curtis with Eocene Environmental Group. Two of them quoted anywhere from $14,500 to $24,500 for the work.
The next item was the approval of ESF plans 1,3,7, 10 and Infrastructure that are due at the end of May. Cara Sorrells had sent out what Reisen left in the Teams folder marked current. It was suggested that we send these to HSEMD and possibly another Emergency Management coordinator for review to make sure that they are suitable for submission. Richard Young advised that Walt Jackson from Henry County is the Region 5 point of contact. The infrastructure plan is new and needs to be developed. Chairman Ryan Miller asked that this be added as an agenda item for the May meeting.
The EMA POC (Point of Contact) form was next on the agenda. Richard Young made a motion to list Jared Schneider as the primary interim contact. Young’s motion was seconded by Millie Youngquist. The motion carried with no opposition. Next Mark Robe made a motion to list Richard Young as the secondary interim contact. Robe’s motion was seconded by Millie Youngquist. The motion also passed with no opposition. Sheriff Jared Schneider was designated as the primary contact and Richard Young as the secondary contact, until the EMA position is filled. They completed the POC form, it was signed by Chairman Ryan Miller, and it will be returned to HSEMD by Cara Sorrells.
The coordinator report was next and Sorrells updated the commission on the following:
Vehicle maintenance with Secondary Roads
PM’s radios in vehicles + 1 portable with RACOM
AED program deployment in Washington – 1 deployed to Wellness Park
Purchases were the next item on the agenda. Sorrells had a new total amount due for the siren project $292,836.37 which included an invoice for siren equipment and trucking ($272,254.50) and an invoice for NexGen monitoring equipment ($20,581.87). Mark Robe made a motion to approve the siren project progress billing and Millie Youngquist seconded Robe’s motion. The motion carried with no one opposed. Sorrells will submit this to the WCRF to receive the 69% siren grant payment. Sorrells also had two other claims for approval. The first was from Basepoint Building Automations for $815.10 for repairs to the interior rear vestibule door that would not latch. The other was from Arnold’s Motor Supply for $173.79 for a battery for the Ranger that Shawn Ellingson replaced. Mark Robe made a motion to approve the other two claims. His motion was seconded by Allen Schneider and approved unanimously.
Under old business the siren project update was the first item of business. Sorrells has been working with RC Systems and RACOM to get the equipment installed in the Communications Center. Currently the equipment is installed but it is not communicating with the sirens. Brighton, however, is currently functional on both the radio console and the new system. An update was requested on the status of each siren (installation, power, and programming) but was not received before the meeting. Brighton was given information about someone interested in purchasing their old siren and West Chester was contacted about whether they want their old siren removed as part of this project. They were going to discuss it at their upcoming city council meeting. There was a brief discussion on ownership, responsibilities, and maintenance for the new sirens. Everyone’s understanding was that the sirens will be the responsibility of the new EMA. It should be added to the job duties and a future maintenance contract will need to be discussed further. Before Marissa left, she acquired a quote from Lighting Maintenance out of Eldridge for $6,900. Repairs would be performed on a T/M basis at $270 per hour.
The last item under old business was discussion and update reference the hiring process for a new coordinator. Richard Young gave an update on the status of the application process. They have received approximately seven applications and the deadline for submission is Friday at 4:30 PM. A hiring committee was established that includes Jared Schneider, Cara Sorrells, Ryan Schlabaugh, Richard Young, Millie Youngquist, Jacob Thorius, and Jordan Wright. Jack Seward suggested someone be added to represent the fire service. Roy Felts will email the Fire Association to determine a designee.
There was nothing for the Commission under public input. The next meeting was scheduled for May 14th, 2025, at 6:00 PM.
Millie Youngquist made a motion to adjourn the Emergency Management meeting, and the motion was seconded by Mark Robe. The Emergency Management meeting was adjourned at 7:04 PM.
At 7:04 PM, Chairman Richard Young called the 911 Commission meeting to order. Present were representatives from Brighton, Crawfordsville, Kalona, Riverside, Washington, Wellman, the Board of Supervisors, and the Sheriff’s Office. Ainsworth and Emergency Management were the only commission members lacking representation. A quorum was determined. Chairman Richard Young made a request for an approval of the agenda. Mark Robe made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. Millie Youngquist seconded the motion, and the agenda was approved with no one opposed. A request was then made for a motion to approve the minutes for the last meeting dated March 5th, 2025. Millie Youngquist made a motion to approve the minutes from the last meeting and the motion was seconded by Ryan Miller. No one was opposed and the motion passed.
The approval of claims was next, and Cara Sorrells detailed the claims. This month’s 911 claims contained a payment to Frontline Public Safety Solutions for $1,389.15 to renew the quality assurance program software for another year, a payment to Wahl-Tek for $4,771.74 for maintenance on the Evintide NexLog recorder, and several training registrations. The total of the claims was $10,836.74. The total of the receipts was $2,028.12. Mark Robe made a motion to approve the claims as presented. Robe’s motion was seconded by Allen Schneider. The motion to approve the claims was passed unanimously.
Under new business Sorrells reported that April 13th – 19th is National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week, and we will be doing various things to promote it. Many of the communities did a proclamation and staff attended the council meetings.
Under old business the update on the Wellman tower was next on the agenda. Sorrells shared that the paperwork has been received to conclude the purchase of the Wellman tower, and it will be approved at the Board of Supervisors meeting. RACOM is behind schedule installing our equipment in the shelter. Sheriff Jared Schneider will reach out to Mike Miller with RACOM.
The next 911 meeting was also set for May 14th, 2025, at 6:00 PM. A motion was made to adjourn the 911 Commission meeting by Jared Schneider and seconded by Mark Robe. The 911 Commission meeting was adjourned at 7:12 PM.
At 7:12 PM, Chairman Ryan Miller called the Communications Commission meeting to order. Present were representatives Richard Young (for Stan Stoops), Ryan Miller, Mark Robe, Millie Youngquist, and Jack Seward. Alternates Melvin Rich and Allen Schneider were also present. A quorum was determined.
Chairman Miller made a request for an approval of the agenda. Mark Robe made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. Millie Youngquist seconded the motion, and the agenda was approved with no one opposed. A request was then made for a motion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting dated March 5th, 2025. Mark Robe made a motion to approve the minutes from the last meeting and the motion was seconded by Jack Seward. No one was opposed and the motion passed.
The approval of the claims was next, and Cara Sorrells detailed the claims. The total of the claims was $1,705.42 and there was no revenue reported. A motion was made by Millie Youngquist to approve the claims as presented. Allen Schneider seconded the motion, and the claims were approved with no one opposed.
There were no committee reports.
Under new business Sorrells had already spoken on the emphasis for NPSTW April 13th – 19th.
Following suit with the prior meetings, the next Communications meeting was set for May 14th, 2025, at 6:00 PM. Under old business the update to the Wellman site was covered under the 911 Commission meeting. The staffing update included that one trainee is working on her own as of April 1st and was doing very well. There is still one full-time trainee in training. Carrie Rich is interested in working casual part-time. Sorrells will speak with Veterans Affairs Chair Darren Dennler about the possibility of it.
Millie Youngquist made a motion to adjourn the Communications Commission meeting. Mark Robe seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 7:18 PM.
Respectfully submitted by,
Cara Sorrells
Emergency Management
911 Commission
Communication Commission
Official Publication, minutes to be approved at the May 14th, 2025, meeting. Any amendment to the minutes will be reflected in the following meeting minutes
Published in The News, Thursday, May 1, 2025 L-316
