HomeMy WebLinkAboutLECminutes3-09-20GRANT COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT/EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
DISASTER SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING
GRANT COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES BUILDING
Lancaster, WI 53813
March 9, 2020
The Grant County Law Enforcement/Emergency Management Disaster Services Committee was called to
order at 10:00 a.m. by Chairman Gary Ranum. The following members and personnel were present:
LAW ENFORCEMENT/EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DISASTER SERVICES COMMITTEE: John Beinborn, Bob
Keeney, Greg Fry and Pat Schroeder.
GUESTS: Chief Deputy Jack Johnson; Steve Braun, Emergency Management; and Kelly Bird, Recording
Secretary.
Kelly Bird verified the agenda had been posted at the County Clerk’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and
Courthouse and on the county website. Greg Fry second by Bob Keeney approved the agenda, moving
the Emergency Management items to be discussed after the Coroner’s. Pat Schroeder second by John
Beinborn approved the minutes from the February 10 meeting. All above motions carried.
There were no Public Forum participants present.
Coroner:
Coroner Phyllis Fuerstenberg passed out year-end totals for the years 2018 and 2019 for comparison.
The number of suicides doubled from 2018 to 2019. There is not a trend in any certain age. Phyllis will
talk to the director of Unified Community Services about her concerns in the increase of suicides and
need for mental health awareness.
Pat Schroeder second by Greg Fry made a motion to accept the Coroner’s Report. Motion carried.
John Beinborn second by Greg Fry made a motion to accept the Coroner’s Financials. Motion carried.
Bob Keeney second by John Beinborn made a motion to accept the Coroner’s Invoices. Motion carried.
Emergency Management:
Under Emergency Management Director’s Report, Steve Braun notified the committee members of
several training opportunities in the coming month that will be available. Grant money received will be
used to hold the trainings. This will lower the cost of registration for people who want to attend.
Grant County is reasonably prepared for the Coronavirus and will continue to plan for any major
outbreaks.
Assistance to Firefighter Grants are due on Friday, March 13.
The Mississippi River is higher than average for this time of year. Pumps will be used if needed.
The Mitigation Proposal for Cassville has been approved for the purchase of two homes on Bluff Street.
This is a Village project.
The Assistance to Firefighter Grants will be used to purchase mobile radios.
Greg Fry second by Bob Keeney made a motion to accept the Director’s Report. Motion carried.
Steve has been awarded a grant for to $3,000.00 for a Hazardous Materials Meter with no match. John
Beinborn second by Greg Fry made a motion to send this to the Full County Board. Motion carried.
Emergency Management’s Invoices and Financials were presented. John Beinborn second by Greg Fry
made a motion to approve the Financials and Invoices. Motion carried.
Chief Deputy:
Under Chief Deputies Briefing, the monthly activity report was passed out and reviewed. The total calls
for service were 2,584 with Grant County handling 1185. The inmate population was at 62 with 48
males, 10 females, two on electronic monitoring and two on Huber. There were 26 inmates that have
been sentenced, 13 waiting to be sentenced, 14 on probation holds and nine housed for other counties.
Huber Inmates have gone down due to inmates violating rules for interviewing for jobs during
incarceration.
Under Personnel, Deputy Dan Reuter has transferred to the Detective Unit. Jailer Cody Trumm has
been promoted to Deputy. Joseph Byer has been hired for a Male Jailer Position. There is currently one
open position in the jail. We had one internal applicant for this position and are reviewing his
application. When this position is filled the jail will be at full staff.
The Annual Report was emailed to committee members for review. Pat Schroeder second by Greg Fry
made a motion to approve the Annual Report for the Sheriff’s Office. Motion carried.
RACOM was present to answer any questions on the radio and tower update. The tower will now be a
350 feet tower instead of 400 feet and will also be self-collapsing. This change will not affect the cost of
the project. The radio system issues have been ongoing for the last ten years and the status of the radio
equipment is worse than expected. There are no grant opportunities to finance this project. The
interest rates are low and it would be a good time to borrow the money for this project. Pat Schroeder
second by John Beinborn made a motion to recommend financing 1.1 million dollars for Phase II and
plan for Phase III in the 2021 budget and send this to the Executive Committee. Motion carried.
Chairman Gary Ranum called a five minute recess.
Chairman Gary Ranum called the meeting back to order at 11:45 a.m.
Kevin Noreen and Dave Hottenstein were present to discuss a Wisconsin Second Amendment Sanctuary
County Resolution. This resolution supports the ability for Law Enforcement to use discretion when
dealing with situations where people are gun owners and may be in danger of causing harm to
themselves or others. Corporation Counsel has reviewed this and sees no issue with the copy presented
to him.
Angela Mitchell, citizen of District No. 14, was present to state that something like this should not be
discussed at the County Board level and that maybe a referendum would be appropriate.
Committee member John Beinborn would like to attend more informational meetings before making a
decision whether to support this or not.
Sheriff Dreckman would like to remain neutral on this matter but is not present today.
This item is on the agenda for the Executive Meeting that will be held tomorrow. Kevin Noreen will
email a copy of the resolution with corrections that have been discussed to Bob Keeney by tomorrow
morning.
Under New Facility, Chief Deputy Jack Johnson and Facility Maintenance Manager Garry Pluemer are still
working on finishing some projects together. Garry passed out information on two different Lawn
Mowers. He would like to purchase one and have the Maintenance Technicians do the mowing at the
Community Services Building. There is no money in the budget for this, but there will be a savings due
to not contracting out the mowing. John Beinborn second by Pat Schroeder made a motion to send this
to the Executive Committee for discussion. Motion carried.
There has been some confusion on how many wall hangings are allowed in each office at the
Community Services Building. Pat Schroeder second by Bob Keeney made a motion to allow one picture
or wall hanging in each office as it is stated in the policy. Motion carried.
It has been requested by Steve Braun to place a Knox Box outside of the Community Services Building.
The Knox Box would have a universal key in it that the Fire Department would have access to so they can
enter the building in an emergency. Security is a concern at this time. This item will be tabled until
Sheriff Dreckman can be present for discussion.
Greg Fry second by Pat Schroeder made a motion to accept the Chief Deputies Report. Motion carried.
There were no Training events to discuss.
There were no Grants to discuss.
Under Maintenance, the Steamer Pot in the kitchen has been replaced with a new one. The Boilers are
still being worked on. Chief Deputy Johnson and Garry Pluemer will be meeting with Brad Bierman from
Epic to discuss warranty projects that need to be completed.
The Sheriff’s Office Invoices and Financials were presented. John Beinborn second by Greg Fry made a
motion to accept the Invoices and Financials. Motions carried.
This meeting was not recorded.
Greg Fry second by John Beinborn made a motion to adjourn until April 13, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at the
Grant County Community Services Building. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Pat Schroeder, Secretary
Kelly Bird, Recording Secretary