The Todd County Fiscal Court convened on August 23, 2024, to discuss critical updates regarding the county's outdoor warning siren system. The meeting began with a review of bids for new sirens, presented by the county judge, who emphasized the need for an efficient alert system in light of recent weather events.

The judge outlined two primary options for the siren system: a manual activation system and an automatic system. The manual system requires personnel to receive alerts from the National Weather Service and manually activate the sirens. In contrast, the automatic system would allow sirens to be triggered automatically when the weather service issues warnings that affect the designated areas.

After a thorough review of the bids, the judge recommended the automatic system from Table Rock Alerting, which has previously supplied sirens to the county. The judge noted that Table Rock's bid for the automatic system was $189,037.80, making it the most cost-effective option among the automatic bids. The alternative automatic bid from Safer System was significantly higher at $206,442.70.

For the manual system, the judge indicated that the lowest bid came from Federal Signal at $138,471.70, while Table Rock's manual system bid was slightly higher at $141,412.80. Despite the higher cost, the judge favored Table Rock due to their established relationship with the county and their reliability.

The meeting concluded with a consensus on the need for enhanced safety measures through the installation of eight additional outdoor warning sirens. The court will further deliberate on the recommendations and finalize the decision in upcoming sessions.