Emergency Management staff explained to the Knox County Commission on Aug. 12 how county projects are submitted to the state for federal Homeland Security and Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding and described two projects the state had tentatively chosen for this grant round.

Candace, an Emergency Management staff member, told commissioners that EMPG reimbursements typically cover about 50% of eligible operational expenses while Homeland Security grants can be 100% reimbursement for start-up projects. She said the state reviews projects and decides which county subrecipients to include in the state's application to the federal government.

Candace said the two county projects that had been selected unofficially were: a new electronic access gate for the county airport to close the entrance and control vehicle access, and an additional portable barricade system intended for town events such as the lobster festival. She said the airport gate was a surprising but welcome pick because airports often receive other federal funding, and the gate would provide a closing mechanism to stop a speeding vehicle.

On the barricade system, staff noted the original grant award from last year included a barricade package intended to be shared with towns, but orders and modifications have delayed delivery. The new project request is for a second gate/barricade to improve event safety by enabling towns to close or open controlled vehicle access points during large events.

Commissioners and staff discussed the reimbursement flow: the state applies to the federal program and the county is a subrecipient, meaning the county must spend project funds up front and is reimbursed later. Candace said state review and federal approvals have uncertain timelines and that county staff had been given only short windows to submit certain applications.

No formal vote was recorded in the meeting to execute specific purchases; staff said they had submitted project requests and were waiting for official award notifications from the state.