City Council approves investment in outdoor warning siren system

The Ann Arbor City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 22, approved a $55,870 investment to help maintain the city’s outdoor warning siren system.

The funding will replace five aging siren controllers and cabinets as part of the city’s ongoing maintenance of its 22 outdoor warning sirens. The work will be completed by West Shore Services Inc., which provides inspection, preventative maintenance and repair services for the system.

Earlier this year, the city considered whether to retire the outdoor warning siren system because of its maintenance costs and the availability of newer emergency alerting technologies. Before making a decision, the city sought feedback from the community through a public survey.

Thousands of people responded, with survey participants overwhelmingly expressing support for keeping the sirens in operation. Respondents frequently cited the value of having multiple ways to receive emergency warnings, particularly for people who are outdoors or may not receive an alert on a mobile device.

Based in part on that community feedback, the city administration determined the outdoor warning siren system should be retained and maintained. The investment approved by City Council supports that decision and will help keep the system operational and reliable.

To learn more about Ann Arbor’s emergency alert tools and register for A2 Emergency Alerts, visit a2gov.org/alerts. 

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Contact: 

Steve Kilar, Communications Director, skilar@a2gov.org