BENTON -- In the event of an emergency, Scott County officials will be able to keep in touch with other authorities in the area.
Scott County Developer Joel Evans presented commissioners with laminated cards during their regular meeting Tuesday which list phone numbers for all known satellite phones in Southeast Missouri so far.
"It has all the ones we would need to contact in the event of a disaster or emergency," Commissioner Jamie Burger said.
Evans said one local bank with several branches in the area is looking into getting its own satellite phones.
The city of Sikeston has awarded a contract for satellite phone services as well, according to Evans, but their numbers haven't been provided yet.
With calls costing $1.39 per minute, the county's satellite phones are only used in emergencies and to test them on a monthly basis, Evans said.
As a major disaster is likely to shut down cellular and landline phone services, county officials determined getting three satellite phones this year would ensure the county's ability to communicate during emergencies
The county's three satellite phones are assigned to the presiding commissioner, the sheriff and the county emergency management director.
In other business Tuesday:
* Burger will meet with a staffer from U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office at 1 p.m. March 7 for an on-site meeting in Rockview regarding issues with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Burger said he will discuss ongoing concerns regarding drainage in the community as well as the possibility railroad construction may damage the county's roads.
Concerns about the increase in train traffic through the county will also be discussed, he said.
"I got a call from a lady today who lives between Chaffee and Oran," Burger said.
He said Cindy Cobb is seeing an increase in the number of cracks in the foundation of her home and believes it may be from the increase in train traffic. "They live 328 feet away from the railroad tracks," Burger said.
* Commissioners accepted the low bid from Scheffer's Office Furniture and Business Machines for eight filing cabinets for the assessor's office.
Scheffer's offered four card file storage cabinets at $879 each and four lateral file cabinets at $429 each.
Bids were also received from Staples, Office Max and Mid-South Office Supply.