Emergency crews to be equipped with new radios

MORAN — New radios will benefit the Moran Volunteer Fire Department, particularly when local firefighters are dispatched for mutual aid calls.
That’s because the department’s current radios aren’t equipped to hear broadcasts from other frequencies.
“So if we get a call to help in Bourbon County, we can’t talk to them,” Mayor and Fire Chief Phillip Merkel said Monday.
Moran City Council approved, 3-0, purchase of two hand-held radios, using a $1,000 grant provided to the city by Enbridge Pipeline. Council members Jim Mueller, Chryll Ginn and Bill Bigelow cast the affirmative votes. Council members Jerry Wallis and Gene Gardner were absent.
The radios cost $518 apiece.

A SECOND Enbridge grant — also for $1,000 — will be combined with a second grant totaling $1,133 to provide additional equipment for the Moran Police Department.
Council members directed Police Chief Shane Smith to purchase a body-mounted AXON FLEX video camera system from TASER International, the same company that provides similar cameras for the Allen County sheriff’s and Iola police departments.
The camera system, which give a true, first-person account of what an officer sees when he’s dispatched on a call.
The video is then uploaded to a secured, online storage terminal, where it can be archived and used as evidence if necessary. Officers also can use the video as a resource when drafting reports.
Purchasing the camera system will cost $1,422.67, plus $360 annually after that for online storage services.
Council members voted unanimously for the camera system.
“It’s a good move,” Mueller agreed.

CITY employees will receive a 25-cent per-hour raise — or the monetary equivalent for salaried employees — starting in January, council members decided. The employees also will receive $35 each for Christmas bonuses.
The raises and bonuses were approved following a 45-minute executive session for non-elected personnel and employee evaluations and interviews.

COUNCIL approved 2015 cereal malt beverage applications from Stub’s Market and Pump ‘N Pete’s. The Pete’s approval was provisional because the store manager lives in Bourbon County. Applicants must live in Allen County, City Attorney Bret Heim said.
An easy fix is expected. The store must simply find an employee who lives in Allen County to sign the application.
Neither Pete’s nor Stub’s has been cited for alcohol sales violations, Heim noted.