The results of an inspection of the city’s firefighting capabilities, as well as its water system, could be known within 45 days, Mayor Steve Hutcheson reported to the Houston City Council on Monday.
The Insurance Service Organization (IS0) review was completed in one day – rather than the normal two. Hutcheson said the inspection went well. The visit comes after the purchase of a new city fire truck and improvements to the community’s water system.
The review determines a community’s fire rating, which ranges from 10 [worst rating] to one [best]. Insurance companies use the ratings to determine fire insurance premiums.
Several items are included in the study:
*The system for receiving and handling alarms.
•The fire department’s equipment, personnel and training.
*The water system.
In 1995 – the last year the study was done – Houston received a six. Hutcheson recently said the completion of the water project will aid in receiving a better rating. The water effort, which extended over two to three years, included the completion of a loop of 12-inch water line from Grand Avenue, along Spruce Street to Airport Road and on to the industrial park. It also includes an area along Holder Drive to South Sam Houston Blvd.
Tests show big improvements in water volume and flow to a major part of the community. In the fire protection study, 40 of the 100 points are attributed to the community’s water system.
A homeowner who pays $375 annually for coverage on a $100,000 house would see a reduction of about 5 percent [$19] if the ISO rating would drop from six to five. Another notch would save 18 percent – or $66 annually.
The benefit would extend to homeowners within five miles of the fire station.
In other matters, members:
-Approved seeking additional funds from the Missouri Department of Transportation for another leg of the Village Trail, a walking and bicycling trail planned in the community.
-Decided to leave a $500 building permit in place for the county justice center. The county commission had appealed the decision in a letter to the council.
-Approved several appointments by the mayor: Carl Honeycutt and Brad Rees to six-year terms on the Industrial Development Authority of Houston; Dee Dee Dunn, David Arthur and Sheila Walker to the Houston Park Board for three-year terms, Sharon Sillyman and Joe Stockard to the planning and zoning commission for four-year slots.
-Will remind property owners that address numbers are required on houses and businesses.
-Will ask economic development head Ron Reed to oversee an update of the city’s Web site.