Commissioners tackle issue of 911 addressing for private roads

The Milam County Commissioners Court’s last meeting of 2015 was of special importance to those families living off private roads in Milam County.
Over the last four months, it became evident to the commissioners court that the procedure for assigning 911 numbers to private roads had to be fixed. The importance of a 911 address is that it allows ambulance drivers, law enforcement officials, and firefighters to find your home as quickly as possible.
Ever since the 911 emergency network was enhanced for rural Texas in 2000, the Central Texas Council of Governments (CTCOG) has been responsible for assigning 911 addresses to Milam County private roads that served three or more homes if requested by those living on that road. CTCOG would assign the number and request the commissioners court’s approval. Up to the last four months, the commissioners court’s approval was almost automatic.
In October, CTCOG recommended that a private road connecting to County Road 407 be numbered as 4011; the court approved the recommendation. In November, the commissioners court tabled a decision about approving CTCOG’s request to designate a private road as number 3513.
These decisions prompted Jeff Muegge, Precinct 4 Commissioner and chair of the Milam County 911 Oversight Board, to suggest that a private road number should indicate the county road to which it connects – which in the two examples above, they don’t.
When Susan Reinders, Milam County’s Emergency Management Coordinator, started asking around, she found that many emergency responders could not identify the locations of private roads based on their numbers. 

Fi=or the full story, check out this week's print or digital edition.