Relating to outdoor warning sirens in flash flood-prone areas.

Contracts

• Government Vendors: Update standard terms to include specific indemnification regarding the reliability of backup power systems (solar/battery). Grid-tied reliability is no longer sufficient.
• Interlocal Agreements (ILAs): Municipalities should immediately draft ILAs for joint siren operation. Vendors should structure proposals to service regional clusters rather than single entities to align with Section 16.502(e).
• Grant Contingencies: Contracts for installation must include "Notice to Proceed" contingencies based on the receipt of Governor’s Office grant awards, as local funding may be insufficient.

Hiring/Training

• Engineering Firms: Civil engineering teams must integrate acoustic coverage modeling into flood mitigation planning immediately.
• Maintenance Staff: Personnel must be trained/certified on the maintenance of specific backup power sources (solar arrays/battery banks), not just standard electrical grid maintenance.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Mandatory Certification: Entities must generate a "Certification of Compliance" to attach to *every* TWDB financial assistance application.
• Testing Logs: Establish a digital logging system for "regular functionality tests." These logs are subject to TWDB audit. Manual logs are a liability risk; automated logging software is recommended.

Fees & Costs

• Retrofitting Costs: Existing sirens without independent backup power likely do not meet the new "Best Management Practices" exemption and must be retrofitted or replaced.
• Capital Risk: The primary cost is not the siren itself, but the denial of low-interest state capital for broader water infrastructure projects due to non-compliance.
• Grant Funding: While a grant program is established, the Fiscal Note indicates no specific appropriation for the grant corpus. Treat this as an unfunded mandate for budgeting purposes.