Spokane County emergency management warns of capability loss without grant or cost‑share fixes

Chandra, director of Spokane County Department of Emergency Management (DEM), told commissioners the office lacks a full financial picture and faces urgent choices if federal grant money is not obligated by Congress.

"Bottom line up front is we still lack a full financial picture," Chandra said, describing three planning scenarios: a $536,000 target budget with no grant funding; a target plus assumed EMPG award raising available funds to about $714,650; and a "reasonable ask" of $760,000 intended to preserve current capability.

Chandra said the EMPG (Emergency Management Performance Grant) discussion matters because the federal grant cannot contribute more than roughly 30% of DEM’s general‑fund budget. She said the target budget would allow only a director plus three staff, with no rotation pay and no sustainable on‑call duty officer rotation. The EMPG‑augmented scenario would permit a four‑person staff and a stress‑heavy on‑call rotation; the $760,000 scenario would preserve director plus five staff and an on‑call duty officer rotation without eliminating other core functions.

“Loss of staff equals a loss of capability and capacity across all programs and functions,” Chandra said. She warned that without staff DEM cannot reliably staff the emergency operations center, provide on‑demand wireless emergency alerts or supply timely incident support. Those shortfalls, she said, could force the county to contract response and recovery assistance at higher cost.

Chandra said Alert Spokane — the county’s mass notification system — is funded separately from the general fund by the one‑tenth of 1% emergency communications sales tax and that those funds are limited to equipment and materials, not staffing. She asked commissioners to consider how city partners might adjust cost‑share percentages; the presentation noted that Spokane city participation historically contributed about $180,000 to $200,000 annually to regional emergency management.

Federal funding timing is uncertain, Chandra said; the DEM office is preparing operating plans assuming the worst case in which congressional obligation of FY‑25 grant funds could lapse. She described operational consequences if DEM were cut to three staff: duty officer rotation would be infeasible, shelters and communications coordination could be delayed, and county liability risk could increase if planning or response steps are not completed.

Chandra asked commissioners to fund a $760,000 budget that would hold department staffing at director plus five and allow the office to maintain current programs while the county continues discussions with contract cities on cost sharing.

Ending: Chandra said DEM will meet with its policy board on Oct. 1 and can return to the commissioners with revised numbers after cost‑share discussions and federal grant determinations.