Starke County is keeping its options open, when it comes to the Emergency Management Agency director position.
Continue readingStarke County Keeping Options Open to Fill EMA Vacancy
Starke County Commissioners to Meet Tonight
The Starke County Commissioners will meet today where Sheriff Bill Dulin will present several ordinance amendments and additional ordinances for consideration. He stated previously that those ordinances will address noise, animals running at large, vicious dogs, false alarms, and the golf cart ordinance concerning open containers.
Continue readingStarke County Council Discusses Budget Cuts
The Starke County Council discussed necessary budget cuts to the 2019 budget when they met Monday night.
Starke County COAD Addresses Inconsistencies with Communication Systems Utilized by Emergency Personnel
When Starke County COAD met for the first time Tuesday night, a question from one of the county’s amateur radio operators prompted a discussion about the communication systems utilized by the county’s emergency personnel.
Hamlet Fire Chief and Starke County Council President Brad Hazelton explained that some emergency personnel, such as the Sherriff’s Department, use radios that run on the 800 megahertz spectrum while others, like the fire departments, utilize very high frequency, or VHF technology. Hazelton said, “We can talk to EMS, because they’re VHF and 800 but the police are only 800 and we’re only VHF.” Continue reading
Starke County Council, Commissioners Finalize Appointments
The Starke County Council members made several appointments to boards and commissions when they met this week.
The council reorganized with a change in leadership. Brad Hazelton was elected as council president and Dave Pearman retained as council vice president. Freddie Baker opted to step down from leading the council. He held the position in 2016 and 2017.
Hamlet Council Affirms Selection of Brad Hazelton as Fire Chief
The Hamlet Town Council has formally recognized Brad Hazelton as the Hamlet-Davis Township fire chief. Hazelton has already been leading the department for the past few months.
Knox and Koontz Lake Firefighters Assist Hamlet Fire Department With Railroad Street Fire
State Fire Marshal Fred Sumpter has officially ruled the cause of a structure fire that took place in Hamlet last week as undetermined.
Hamlet Fire Chief Brad Hazelton reported that on Friday, October 20th the Hamlet Fire Department received a call about a fire at a vacant structure located on West Railroad Street around 2 a.m. The fire was extinguished but the house was significantly damaged.
Chief Hazelton said that the State Fire Marshall conducted an investigation. Hazelton determined that it was too dangerous for the firefighters involved to enter the crawlspace under the house so the cause was established as undetermined.
Hazelton also reported that thanks to the use of their alarm system, Knox and Koontz Lake Firefighters we called out to assist with the incident. He said the departments often assist one another when they’re in need of more firefighters and to utilize equipment that one department may have access to that another does not. Continue reading
Starke County Council Approves Three Percent Employee Raise
The Starke County Council Monday night approved a three percent increase for county employees. The council members discussed what sort of impact that will have on the budget and found it would be about a $78,000 increase. They felt that was feasible, but they hope that the state won’t cut too much out of the budget.
The public hearing for the 2018 budget for Starke County will be held on Oct. 2. The budget adoption is scheduled for Oct. 18. Budgets must be approved by Nov. 1.
State Nepotism Law Not Applicable for Starke County Council Officials
A state law aimed at curbing conflicts of interest by prohibiting volunteer firefighters from holding certain elected offices does not apply to Starke County Council members. President Dave Pearman is also an 18 year veteran of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department. He sought clarification about the policy when he ran for reelection. Continue reading
