[November 21, 2008] Vision 2020 updated on warning systems Tweet Nov 21, 2008 (The Macon Telegraph - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WARNER ROBINS -- At least a portion of a countywide warning system could be active by the end of 2009, members of an advisory board were told Thursday. The Vision 2020 advisory and planning board discussed several items at its regular meeting, including an update on the all hazards warning system and the use of cell phones while driving. The board -- made up of the mayors of Warner Robins, Centerville and Perry, the Houston County Commission chairman and a representative of the Houston County school board -- meets every other month to plan countywide projects and keep government leaders informed of what the other bodies are doing. Tommy Stalnaker, the county's director of operations, reported that he and Houston County Emergency Management Agency Director Jimmy Williams have been collecting information about different warning systems since the Nov. 4 election, when Houston residents approved a half-mill increase in property taxes for one year to pay for a system. "We've been pushing forward to make sure we will have this implemented in a timely manner," Stalnaker said. "We don't have anything for you to consider now, but in the next 45 to 60 days, we should have more material and experts collected so that we should be able to present you with some options and give a timeline of how to proceed. We've got a lot of people to contact -- consultants, engineers and other experts in the field." After the meeting, Stalnaker said he is investigating several different types of warning systems, including sirens, telephone alert systems and weather radio systems. "I don't know if any one system will be sufficient. We'll probably need a combination of methods to be able to alert as many people as possible about impending severe weather or other hazards," he said. Vision 2020 had recommended some type of countywide system shortly after the Mother's Day tornadoes that hit Bibb County and other parts of Middle Georgia. The Houston County Commission took the lead on the project, asking voters to approve the tax increase to pay for it. On another front, the panel voted to wait until its next meeting to take any action on a suggestion by Warner Robins City Councilman Tom Simms Jr. to enact laws in the county and its municipalities to prohibit using handheld cell phones while driving. Simms was unable to attend the meeting due to a death in his family, but he sent a packet of information for the panel to review. County Commission Chairman Ned Sanders suggested postponing the discussion to give the members time to review the material and allow Simms to address the board. Centerville Mayor Harold "Bubba" Edwards also requested that the various governments have their attorneys research the matter and make recommendations on how such a measure could be enforced. Several members of the group said it might be better for any laws regarding cell-phone use while driving come from the state rather than from local counties and municipalities. They pointed out that there already are laws pertaining to distracted drivers that can be used against cell-phone users involved in accidents or who are driving erratically. Updates on new animal control facilities in Warner Robins and Perry also were given. Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker reported that the city is now planning to convert the Peak Shaving Plant it recently acquired off Industrial Park Boulevard into an animal shelter, and that he should have more to report at the next meeting. Sanders said the county will be willing to assist with the matter, and Walker said the city may ask for county help in preparing the parking lot. Perry City Manager Lee Gilmour, who attended in place of Mayor Jim Worrall, who was out of town, reported that the Perry City Council has agreed to allow volunteers to raise money to add an animal adoption wing to the animal control facility it plans to build, provided the addition fits the facility and it is paid for with private funds raised by the volunteers. Gilmour also said the city has asked the architects to scale back the city's portion of the facility after the cost estimate for the original plan was about $800,000. Only $100,000 of the 2006 special purpose local option sales tax was earmarked for the animal control facility, so the city will have to find other funding to pay for the building. The next Vision 2020 meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 21 at Centerville City Hall. To contact writer Chuck Thompson, call 744-4489. 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