At a Lake County meeting, staff and participants discussed the Office of Emergency Management(OEM) goals for 2025 and beyond, the ongoing search for a permanent OEM director, an Emergency Operations Plan update due in 2026, and outstanding state guidance on whether federal or state funds can be used for OEM salaries.

County staff said the OEM team is focusing on five immediate goals for 2025, including supporting agencies in completing improvement projects identified in a 2024 after-action report, coordinating priority projects identified through a 2022 wildlife protection plan and the 2025 hazard mitigation plan using grant funding, and hosting quarterly interagency trainings to exercise operations-center functions. "We don't have, an OEM director just yet," a staff member said, noting current work is continuing under present staff while the county completes hiring.

The emergency operations plan (EOP) is scheduled for a full update in 2026, staff said, and the office added a goal to "reinstate annual continuity of operations training with each department to strengthen continuity, recovery and preparedness across county operations." Staff emphasized that community engagement and public resilience are priorities but said statutory requirements constrain what the public can change in formal emergency plans. "We do want community engagement and feedback, like, they shouldn't be outlining emergency operating plans," Sami, an OEM staff member, said. Sami said community engagement should focus on messaging and helping residents be prepared, rather than altering statutory plan elements.

Interview questions for the OEM director candidates were reported to include experience engaging the community on preparedness and planning. Staff said those questions are intended to ensure the next director can both lead required technical planning and work with the public to improve outreach and readiness.

Budgeting and funding for OEM positions drew questions from meeting participants. "We're waiting to know what is the criteria to accept this funding to fund OEN salaries," a staff member said, describing unresolved state guidance that affects whether the county can accept and use available funds for salaries. Staff said the funding exists in concept but final acceptance depends on criteria the state has not yet provided.

No formal votes or motions on hiring or budget approvals were recorded in the meeting transcript. Staff described next steps as continuing the director search, incorporating a new director's input into evolving goals, completing the EOP update in 2026, and awaiting state guidance on salary funding before finalizing staffing budgets.

The meeting record shows discussion occurred across multiple speakers and focused on operational and planning items that affect community preparedness and internal continuity; no final policy adoption or formal appropriation was reported in the transcript.