According to District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith, there are times when emergency response units have difficulty finding the correct address to respond to 911 calls.
The quick fix is an ordinance similar to the one the Oktibbeha County board of supervisors passed.
The Lowndes County board of supervisors discussed at Friday’s meeting the legal procedure for requiring residents to have a visible address marking at their residence.
“It affects [emergency responders] in the efficient and professional timeframe,” Smith said.
Lowndes County Sheriff Butch Howard said that there was an incident Friday morning where emergency response units were looking for an address.
“It was in the 3500 block and it jumped to the 3600 block and it was somewhere in between,” Howard said.
“It’s an issue that, if we can find a solution to, we should find one to.”
County Attorney Tim Hudson said the only option the county has to address the issue is by ordinance.
District 1 Supervisor and Board President Harry Sanders said the board should research other counties’ ordinances and use it as a guideline when considering this action for Lowndes County.
Oktibbeha County completed its nearly 9,000 address changes in September, which made it mandatory to have a physical address marker at properties. The new system brings Oktibbeha County up to the 911 national standard and eliminates duplicate addresses. Now, addresses are assigned fluidly on each road, as odd numbers are on the left side of the road and even are on the right, beginning at the western or southern end of a road.
Additionally, emergency responders have a picture of each marked structure in the county to aid in identifying the structure and entrance and exit points.
Oktibbeha County’s re-addressing efforts spanned three years and cost $125,000. The project was funded by a $225,000 contract with the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District to create a comprehensive plan.
The GTPDD, which serves Lowndes County, has completed similar re-addressing projects in Webster and Choctaw counties and is in the process of readdressing Noxubee and Clay.
New E911 member
The supervisors unanimously approved a motion to appoint Wayne Doyle to the Columbus-Lowndes E911 board.
Doyle, a Lowndes County volunteer firefighter, will serve the term until it expires Feb. 28, 2013. The appointment is a District 3 board member, and District 3 Supervisor John Holliman recommended appointing Doyle.
“(The VFD) has a lot of interaction with the 911 board,” Holliman said. “As far as I know, they don’t have a representative from the VFD on the board.”
The other applicants included: Officer Terrie Songer of the Columbus Police Department; Sammy Fondren, Lowndes County fire services coordinator; Kirk Gayle, Columbus firefighter; and Terry Petty, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office chief reserve deputy.
The seat was vacated when Bernice Lile, 61, of 1256 Lee Stokes Road, was arrested Sept. 1 for embezzlement against Gordman Insurance Services. Lile, an employee of the company, stole a “large amount” of money, Interim Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen said the day after the arrest.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
