howeenterprise.com
Monday, May 11, 2015
Page #3
Howe's investment in CodeRED pays off paying for the service starting October 1 of this year. The cost of the service is $1,193.86.
per month to have unlimited alerts. With the agreement from each city, Grayson County foot the bill for the first year. The total for this first year of service with the additional alerts is $8,000.
Changes were made in the September city council meeting regarding the minutes that are With this service also comes a user available in the CodeRED fee of $100 per user. With the size program. Much like a cellphone of Howe, one user fee is ample for plan, if the county exceeded the amount of alerts used, it would cost the process. extra. Therefore, The City of Howe Citizens are encouraged to sign up has not sent out any nonemergency alerts. These alerts are for CodeRED at the city website at cityofhowe.org. The city pays sent out if, in example, today's Bad weather caught by Howe citizen J.B. Mayo tornado warnings or severe weather roughly $0.40 per citizen to be able to mass broadcast events such as Today paid off for the City of councils passing the agreement, warnings or even in cases where weather alerts, drinking water Howe's investment into the Grayon County took over the the water supply is shutoff in a CodeRED program. Citizens who contract with CodeRed. Grayson certain area. Another alert would contamination, utility outage, had signed up for the free service County was able to negotiate a be sent out to update the citizens on evacuation notice & route, missing person, fires or floods, bomb threat, were alerted via text, email or by better rate for the entire county than the progress of the situations that hostage situation, chemical spill or phone if they had signed up for the what the three initial cities were might occur. gas leak, and other emergency alert system. With Howe not paying individually. currently having a siren for storm The council had the option for the incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential for life activity such as today, the Since that time, the county has even city (and every other city in the CodeRED system is crucial and the added the CodeRED Weather county) to pay an additional $170 safety. city has asked the citizens to sign Warning as a bonus feature. Mayor up for the service. Jeff Stanley estimated that the city was paying $2,500 to $3,000 Five years ago, Grayson County annually prior to the partnership contacted all of the local mayors of with Grayson County. each city and asked if they'd be interested in partnering as a group Grayson County paid for the entire for emergency management by first year of service by using a using CodeRED. At that time, Homeland Security Grant and have Sherman, Denison and Howe were been able to use that grant annually the only cities in the county using to provide this service for cities. Dark clouds over Bulldog Stadium caught by Howe citizen J.B. Mayo the system. With all of the cities However, each city now has to start
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