March Rollout Set for Emergency Alerts and Ethics Hotline; TIF District Under Review
- Steve Jurrens
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - City Manager Alan Stager laid out a busy February and March for the city during Monday night’s council meeting, highlighting the launch of two major public safety and oversight initiatives alongside upcoming discussions on high-interest development projects.
New Technology: Code Red and Ethics Hotline
Two initiatives approved last fall are nearing full implementation. City Manager Stager confirmed that Code Red, a community-wide emergency notification system, is currently in its rollout phase. Residents can expect the system to be fully operational by March.
Simultaneously, the city is finalizing the “call trees” and routing for a new Ethics Reporting Hotline. This tool, designed to provide an objective channel for reporting concerns, is also slated for a city-wide launch in March.
Development and Planning Highlights
Stager flagged a significant upcoming Planning Commission meeting on February 19 at 4:00 PM. On the agenda is a request for a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district.
“That often gets quite a bit of public interest,” Stager noted, urging residents to stay informed as the commission begins reviewing the request.
Additionally, the Watertown Development Company will host the Grow 57201 Housing Conference on February 12 at the Watertown Event Center. The event will feature speakers discussing best practices for community housing development and TIF revenue strategies.
Call for Volunteers: “Apply to Serve”
Addressing a need for fresh perspectives in local government, Stager issued a call for volunteers to fill vacancies on various city boards and commissions.
To streamline the process, the city has added an “Apply to Serve” icon directly to the center of the municipal website’s homepage. Residents can use this portal to submit applications and list their specific areas of interest.
Upcoming Calendar Changes
Due to the President’s Day holiday, the next City Council meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 17. That meeting will include the city library's mandatory annual report.
