Commissioners ratify EMPG grant application covering emergency-management salaries, county staff say

Columbia County commissioners moved to ratify the county’s Sept. 12 submission of the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) application and approved the filing at the Sept. 17 meeting.

Emergency management staff said the EMPG program reimburses roughly 50% of eligible emergency-management expenses up to the county allocation, which this year is about $73,000. The application lists eligible expenses such as the emergency management director’s loaded salary, half of the emergency coordinator’s salary and, for this year, use of an indirect rate up to 15 percent.

The county’s emergency management director (identified in the meeting as Pedra) noted new federal grant language and compliance disclaimers in the application, and said litigation in other states has raised questions about reconciliation of some presidential executive orders and state law; however, staff recommended submitting the application while the legal issues are resolved. The board made a motion to ratify the application; the motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote at the meeting.