A revised mutual aid policy will be forwarded to the City Council following a recommendation last evening by the Utility Committee.
City Administrator and Utility Director Ron Urton said a need for updating the policy occurred when Trenton, through its affiliation with the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, sent a lineman to Florida to help other utility companies restore power following Hurricane Irma. The employee was gone 12 days.
The policy will call for employee compensation at time and a half for 16 hours a day plus meals and lodging. There’s also an administrative fee payable to Trenton. The requesting city and FEMA covers expenses for the visiting linemen.
The mutual aid policy also has a localized provision when TMU may request help from other area utilities in response to an isolated, but extensive, outage or incident. The previous mutual aid utility policy was adopted in 2004.
Utility Director Urton plans to negotiate a contract with an engineering company, Olsson and Associates, regarding inspection of the reservoir dam. He said Olsson submitted the only response when five companies were sent requests for qualifications. Urton noted the city’s insurance carrier (MIRMA) is requiring the inspection.
Urton also briefed the Utility committee on steps TMU is taking in response to a situation where a test in a home in the southwest part of Trenton showed high levels of lead in the water. He noted the water plant and lab are all good.
Urton indicated the home has cast pipes with lead joints and it’s up to the occupants and/or homeowner to correct the issue. Urton noted the Grundy County Health Department is helping get a filtration system.
