Most of Natchez-Adams County’s 18 tornado sirens have been repaired after months of being out of order, but seven remain silent after technicians discovered they need more new parts, said Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.
Meeting Monday with the Adams County Board of Supervisors, Bradford said four of the defective sirens are in the city and three out in the county. Bradford said he’ll ask city officials again to help fund the new parts needed for those in the city.
However, Natchez aldermen turned down a previous request for money. All 18 towered sirens for several months couldn’t be automatically switched on remotely because of a defective radio system. Each would need to be climbed and manually sounded off if a tornado was approaching.
While 11 of the sirens could be fixed in recent weeks, the seven remaining alarms need more upgraded parts, Bradford said. Among other matters at Monday’s county board meeting, supervisors discussed the low pay provided to E-911 operators. “I want my people treated fairly, … or they’re going to go some place else,” said Adams County E-911 Director Annette Fells.
While supervisors acknowledged the need to raise their salaries, any increases must wait until next year, said board President Kevin Wilson. He expressed hope more revenues will be generated by the Mississippi Legislature levying a new tax on cell phone bills.
There’s a $1-a-month tax on landline phone bills to help fund the county’s emergency 911 operations, but that’s not the case for cell phones. Such taxes are enacted by the state Legislature. Wilson noted the declining use of landline phones has resulted in fewer dollars to fund local emergency-dispatching operations.
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