DALLAS COUNTY E-911 SERVICE BOARD HEARS [SORT'A, MAYBE HEARS ABOUT] ADDRESS REQUEST

        After eleven months of enduring obfuscation to outright lies from Keith Heenan and Bob Ockerman,  I could not ignore that I had been drawn into a put-up job to distract attention away from the actual reasons for Heenan's and Ockerman's refusal to address my homestead, the truth of which is unbrevealed today.

        I persisted and my request was eventually placed on the E-911 Board's agenda for its meeting of October 11, 2007.  The agenda and the minutes for that meeting follow:

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DALLAS COUNTY E911 SERVICE BOARD MEETING

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 20075 7PM

DALLAS COUNTY CARE FACILITY

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TENTATIVE AGENDA

CALL MEETING TO ORDER:

SILENT ROLL CALL: 

APPROVE AGENDA: 

APPROVE MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING:  

OLD BUSINESS: 

NEW BUSINESS:  

• CARL HAYS REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL ADDRESSES

• 911 ORDINANCE CHANGE

• IOWA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS REQUEST TO RE-NAME

R AVE BETWEEN 1-80 AND VAN METERS NORTH CITY LIMITS • DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER TEMPORARY

RELOCATION

• FINANCIAL STATEMENT

• QWEST QUOTE FOR PSAP UGRADES TO POWER 911 

• WOOD WARD FIRE DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR CHARGER REIMBURSEMENT

• CITY OF VAN METER FUNDING REQUEST

• DALLAS CENTER POLICE DEPARTMENT FUNDING REQUEST • REDFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT FUNDING REQUEST

• 911 COORDINATOR REQUEST FOR MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT INCREASE 

OTHER BUSINESS:  

ADJOURN: 

[END OF AGENDA FOR OCTOBER 11, 2007] 

Dallas County

E911 Service Board Meeting.

Minutes: October II, 2007

 

A silent roll was taken. Those in attendance were: 

Bob Ockerman, E911 Chair

Don Wilson, City of Redfield

Teresa Nolan, City of Redfield

Michelle Leonard, City of Dallas Center

Mitch Price, City of Dallas Center

Ron Steilen, City of Dallas Center

Ken Cavanaugh, Woodward Fire and Rescue

Garber [sic. Amber] Williams, Dallas County News

Ron Flam, City of Miñburn

Barry HaIling, Dallas County Emergency Management

Keith Heenan, E 911 Coordinator

John Korkie, Quest

Don Young, Quest

Glenda Hiddleson, City of Dawson

Mark Hersch, City of Dallas Center

Lyle Griswold, City df Granger

Jim McNeill, City of Adel

Allan Adams, City ofVan Meter

Chad Leonard, DalIaè County Sherriff

Chad Hiddleson, Secretary

 

Ockerman called the meeting to order at approximately 7PM.

 

Agenda Approval

 

Heenan said there were a few items that needed to be added to the agenda for tonite.

1. Dawson Fire dept' funding request for generator

2. Dallas Center funding request

3. Griswold was to make request for Granger funding

Adams moved to approve the agenda

Flam 2nd

Motion carried

 

Approval of Minutes:

McNeil made a motion to approve the minutes from the last meeting. 2nd by Cavanaugh

Motion carried

                                              Note: G1 through G6 refer to foootnotes found

                                                     below at the end of this article.

New Business:

 

It was said that[G1]  previous to this meeting, a ruling was made to deny the request of a Mr. Carl Hayes to address the location of his residence 24002 - 260th Street [sic 26000 O Lane]. Also prior to the October E911 board meeting, Mr. Hayes was told he could bring his appeal to the October meeting for the E911 board members to deliberate[G2] . Due to the location of the primary driveway of the Carl Hayes residence, it was decided by the E911 board that the previous ruling was justified due to the GPS'd location of said driveway, and its location along 260th street within the section where the driveway entrance was located (23996 - 260th Street). The additional secondary driveway was also addressed according to the GPS'd location within the street and section where the center of the driveway was located (23998 - 260th Street[G3] ).

 

Ockerman said that based on other Counties' procedures, the addresses are based on the predominant driveway. He further stated that the Warren, Madison and Boone County ordinances had been reviewed and that the same procedures for rural addressing existed in those counties in order to promote the general safety and welfare for residences to receive emergency services[G4] 

It was decided by the E911 board, due to safety considerations for which the new 911 addressing system was developed in the first place, that there would be no further action by the E911 board to grant Mr. Hayes' request.

 

 

 

The E911 addressing ordinances were changed as follows:[G5] 

Section 11:01 Purpose: The ordinance mandates the use of a uniform rural address system for residents of Dallas County in order to promote the convenience, safety and general welfare of those residents.

Section 11:03 Addressing System (revised from ordinance 11:02): The Board shall cause to, have installed, signs for every person owning, controlling, occupying or using any house, store, storeroom or building situated on premises, fronting any public way. The assigned number will be platted by GPS at the center of the primary entrance to the premises and will not approve multiple addresses to a premise.[G6] 

A motion was made by Griswold to approve the new ordinances.

2nd by McNeill

Motion carried

 

Heenan mentioned that the Iowa Department of Veteran's Affairs had requested that a portion of R16 (located between 180 and the bridge North of Van Meter) be changed to "Veterans Memorial Dr".

Allen made a motion to approve the street name change.

2nd by McNeill

Motion carried 

Heenan mentioned that the Dallas County Communication center relocation is now being considered a permanent location.
 

     _______________________________                           ___________________________
     Bob Ockerman, Chairman                                            Chad Hiddleson, Secretary

 

 

[END OF E-911 BOARD MINUTES FOR OCTOBER11,2007

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 [G1]It was Bob Ockerman who "said," and what he said was "Keith and I have already denied this request but if anybody wants to, speak up." No other Board member spoke.

 [G2]Deliberate?

 [G3]Here is the same litany of of imagination I had heard for 11 months.  Notice that these reasons are claimed for the exact same location that the Board had addressed ass 2998 260^th Street 11 months earlier, then changed the address of the same location to 25998 O Avenue.  GPS readings don't lie! 

 [G4]Ockerman's statement is patently untrue.  Furthermore it is wholly irrelevant; Dallas County's Ordinance, Section 11:02, ,below flies in the face of Ockerman's remarks.

 [G5]This is really, really clever.  If ever you seek to witness  blatant changing  the rules after the fact to suit a nefarious purpose, see comment G6 below.

 [G6]This is the change.  Now you have it!  Voila, George didn't chop down that cherry tree after all. 

AFTER RECEIVING 11 MONTHS OF LIES, STONEWALLING AND BULLYING FROM KEITH HEENAN AND BOB OCKERMAN, MY FIRST, FAILED REQUEST FOR AN E-911 ADDRESS FOR MY HOMESTEAD WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE FULL E-911 SERVICE BOARD

   

     This example of Dallas County government run amok first appeared in December 2006, some six months after the E-911 addressing implementation County wide from  which the addressing of my homestead of 30 years did not appear.   I requested an address.  For the next 11 months of receiving lies, stonewalling and inaction from Keith Heenan, then Dallas County E-911 Service Board's Coordinator and Bob Ockerman, then Dallas County's Board of Supervisors appointee to the Dallas County E-911 Service and its Chair, as to why my request for an address was denied, my request was finally placed on the E-911 Board's agenda for \their October 11, 2007 meeting.  Fourteen days prior to that meeting I mailed to each person of the 21-member E-911 Board, the following memorandum and and a complete copy of each of the 11 Exhibits, titles listed below.  

     The memorandum is a summary of the first year, 2006/ 2007.

 

 

TO: Dallas County E-911 Service Board

From: Carl Hays                    Telephone 993-4140

Re: E-911 marker for 24002 260^th St.

September 26, 2007 

Keith Heenan and Bob Ockerman have taken it upon themselves to refuse to place an accurate E-911 marker at our property at 24002 260^th St., our homestead.   Apparently for the first time ever, an individual’s request for a marker is being referred to the E-911 Service Board at large.  It is to come before your October meeting.

I believe that it is incumbent upon the E-911 Service Board to restore its own credibility and to avoid further undue expense by directing Keith Heenan to accurately post the [26000 O Lane] marker and to instruct Todd Noah to correctly enter and exclusively identify my address in the “Dallas County E-911 Official Map” database.

Further, I believe that it is unlawful for the Board to continue to refuse to erect this marker and record the map data accurately.

In December 2006, unbeknownst to me and quite unpredictably, from your 2006 unsigned letter (see Exhibit 1), at a neighbor’s telephone request and with no notice to anyone, Keith Heenan personally erected an erroneous E-911 marker (23998) at our homestead at 24002 260^th St. My contact with Keith Heenan then revealed some incredible and inconsistent rationale for his error (see Aid to Memory, December 15, 2006, Exhibit 2, and Hays/Heenan letter December 26, 2006, Exhibit 3).

By April 2007 I had heard nothing from Mr. Heenan so I contacted him again and received an even more twisted response (see Aid to Memory, April 10, 2007, Exhibit 4).

By July 2007, still having had no response from Heenan, I contacted Mr. Ockerman only to hear even more astounding revelations  (see Aid to Memory, July 18, 2007, Exhibit 5).

Eventually, my property at 23998 260^th St. was correctly addressed.  At the same time, however, where my[26000 O Lane St. sign is required, a sign for 25998 O Avenue, an address that leads to no residence and has no entrance to the county road, appeared exactly where the 23998 260th sign had originally, erroneously been. With some effort I was able to discover that O Avenue record in the “E-911 Official Map” database had also been revised.

Still, 24002 260^th street, the entrance to our homestead remains unmarked (see Plat For Ethel Hays dated August 8, 1981, Exhibit 7, Access Permit To Secondary Road dated May 18,1985, Exhibit 8 and Geodallas map of 24002 260^th St., Exhibit 9)! Ockerman and Heenan are steadfast in their refusal to mark it.  That is the issue before you!

Their error is in marking 25998 O Avenue for the next parcel and, by contrast, refusing to correctly mark the directly adjacent spot in the road at my request, the property owner.

On the one hand, Keith Heenan solely at his personal, sole initiative, with no direction from the E-911 Board, on the basis of one telephone request ,  marked a Section 9 address, next parcel, where there is no residence and no access permit to a county road.

On the other hand, despite my repeated and documented requests, Heenan and Ockerman have provided only bogus excuses for refusing to mark the exact same spot in the road, [26000 O Lane], the entrance to our homestead, and instead deferred to you, the E-911 Board.

                                                    

Page 2

Heenan and Ockerman have come up with a list of incredible excuses, both for having marked for the neighboring parcel and for refusing to mark our homestead.  For examples:

1.      “Markers are available to whoever requests them, by telephone or otherwise.”  Unequivocally not so!

2.      “A marked address must provide access to emergency vehicles.”  Unequivocally not so!

3.      “There are too many signs there already.”  This is an insult to our first responders!  The E-911 addressing scheme provides 500 addresses per mile on each side of the road.  The two miles of O Circle now have a total of six markers.  There are multiple-sign positions posted throughout the County!

4.      “You are required to show your parcel plats and access permits.”  There is no precedent for this, certainly not for 25998 O Avenue!  Nevertheless, I have done so and they are attached  (see Hays/Ockerman August 22, 2007, Exhibit 6, and Exhibits 7, 8 and 9).

5.      “I heard that you are suing the County over the Sheriff’s errors in the rock caper at that address.”  This is hearsay of a rumor that, true or not, can lawfully have zero connection, other than blatant personal prejudice, to a refusal to post an E-911 address marker.

6.      “Well I’m opposed to it and Keith Heenan is opposed to it.”  The question is not Ockerman's willy-nilly opinion nor Heenan's.  The question is lawfully equitable application of the E-911 addressing regulations, set out in the Dallas County Code, and, of course the tax dollars you pay every month as a surcharge on your electic bill.

7.      “Well, this has to be approved by the entire E-911 Board.”  There is no precedent for this.  Clearly, the posting of 23996 260th St. and 25998 O Avenue did not come before the entire E-911 Board.

8.      “I’m not going to spend time talking with you, I have other things to do.” --Keith Heenan  

An unacceptable face for County government.

9.      “The signs are in the public right of way.  You have no say.” --Keith Heenan  Really?

 

Our Access Permit To Secondary Road from our homestead, 24002 260^th St. (see Exhibit 8) locates the sole access to the half of our property that lies up to 3/8 mile east of the crossing of Carl’s Branch, the North/ South creek traversing Section 16.  We have had one instance of an injured poacher to be evacuated there.  We have had two fire Department calls.  The Sheriff’s Department has been called to that address at least 15 times, five within the past eight months.

It is under this access and road that our utility lines are buried.
Depending on the wind-drift direction, this access is also our sole deep-snow emergency entrance/exit, which in March 2007 constituted a period of six consecutive days.

Further, I have liability for the emergency accesses to all of my property in Section 16 and for the safety of my family, my tenants, my employees, my invitees and myself.  From the time your E-911 signage program was enacted both my insurer and I have a liability stake in your signs.

The E-911 Board is liable for any failure of the signage to accurately guide emergency vehicles.  I do not plan to assume liability for your refusal of a $4.25 sign.  If you fail in E-911 signage this liability metastasizes to you.

Thank you.

   --S--

Carl H. Hays

Table of Exhibits

1. E-911 Service Board 2006 unsigned letter to Dallas County postal addressees

2. Aid to Memory, Telephone conversation with Keith Heenan December 15, 2006

3. Carl Hays/ Keith Heenan letter dated December 26, 2006

4. Aid to memory, telephone conversation with Keith Heenan April 10, 2007

5. Aid to Memory, telephone conversation with Bob Ockerman dated July 18, 2007

6. Hays/ Ockerman transmittal letter dated August 22, 2007

7. Platt For homestead dated August 8, 1981.

8. Access Permit To Secondary Road dated May 5, 1985

9. Geodallas Map of our homestead, 24002 260^th St.

10. Hays/ Leonard letter dated August 14, 2007

11. Hays Reisetter letter dated September 19, 2007



                        

                                                                       

ADDRESS SIGN NUMBERS COST $4.25

Note: The significant line here is where Kieth Heenan reveals that the cost of the E-911 number sign is $4.25.  See footnote at G!

MINUTES 

E911 meeting, February 13, 2007 

Chairman Bob Ockerman called the meeting to order at approximately 7PM.

A silent roll was taken. Those in attendance were: 

Bob Ockerman, E911 Chair

Ron Flam, City of Minburn

Barry Hailing, Dallas County Emergency Management

Keith Heenan, E911 Coordinator Glenda Hiddleson, City of Dawson Mark Hersch, City of Dallas Center Lyle Griswold, City of Granger Scott Gavin, Dallas County EMS Jim McNeill, City of Adel

Allan Adams, City of Van Meter Chad Leonard, Dallas County Sheriff Chad Hiddleson, Secretary 

Agenda Approval:

Ockerman asked if there were any additions, changes or deletions to the Agenda.

Flam made a motion to approve the Agenda. 2nd by Hailing. Motion carried. 

Approval of Minutes:

Ockerman asked for approval of the minutes from the Last Meeting. McNeill made a motion to approve the minutes. 2nd by Hailing. Motion carried. 

Old Business:

Heenan asked for Glenda Hiddleson's letter of appointment from City Council. 

Addressing: Heenan said the Board voted to re-address February 11, 2003 and that the project was now nearly completed and that the project is paid in full. BullBerry was paid out of last year's budget a total of $132,827, and Sign up Limited was paid $110,471 for a total of $243,298. 

Heenan added that there were some street signs changed because of name changes and that Iowa Prison Industries produced those signs. The posts for the signs cost approximately $1,500 and had spent roughly $8,650 on street signs.  Secondary Roads installed the signs and said they could assist in replacing more signs for some reimbursement on their time spent. Since October, Heenan had personally been doing cleanup from the project as well as new installs, and in doing so, put 4,000 miles on his truck over the total project. He added that he had done 65 installs himself and there were another 35-40 ready to go as soon as weather permitted. Heenan stated that the new resident marker plates cost $4.25 [G1] each; the posts were $6-7 each and that high intensity numbers were .55 ea. for a total of 17.75 per install. 

Heenan said that the North Tower had been painted and the work was paid for.

Heenan also said that the Dallas Co. conservation board was working on their "TEAS" project which involves a marker every mile wI a series of numbers. 

Hailing said they had one meeting about the this project, and that they had prices on the posts. Hailing added that if somebody has an emergencey, they call on their cell phone to say if they have a problem and the EMS system can go directly to that number.

Heenan said they were talking about starting the installations for the "T's" project in Clive and working their way around, for a total cost of around $5,000 for everything.

Heenan said there's money there for this project and that such a project falls right in line with the re-addressing project.

Adams made a motion to approve the "TEAS" project 2nd by McNNe1I. Motion carried.

Financial statement:

Heenan stated that there was currently $62,230.79 in checking and $500,000 in CD's. Heenan added that the $9,700 wireless surcharge check just came in. He also said that he made a request to the auditor's office, and would like to get the check stubs to keep an accurate check of what comes in for surcharges every quarter. He had noticed that when comparing January's surcharges with October, the totals for the latter were down $15,000, so wondered if Westcom isn't starting to collect a little.

Exempt lines were mentioned and it was explained that there were quite a few churches and facilities that aren't exempt. 

New Business:

Gavin made a funding request for the 9-1-1 AVL proposal, which was to be implemented into four ambulances. The combined investment was estimated at $64,200. He stated that the dispatch center with software from BullBerry shows an icon of an ambulance and where the ambulances are located, so the guesswork is taken out of where the nearest vehicle is located. Gavin added that the ambulance crew can press a button, and the mapping from BullBerry will change the icon according to whether the ambulance is full,or available for a call. Keeps the guesswork out of law enforcement, EMS, etc.

_______________________________

Bob Ockerman, Chairman

 

 

 

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Sound forth the trumpet

Sift out the hearts of man

Be swift my soul to answer

Be jubilant my feet.

          Thanks to Julia Ward Howe

 

 

 

 

 

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 [G1]Heenan had already done two installations at this address to cover for his earlier mistakes.  The E-911 Board wasted six years and $73,314.43 of taxpayer's money to avoid a $4.25 expense.   There was no added installation cost, the post was already in place.

 

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