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Spokane County emergency management warns of capability loss without grant or cost‑share fixes
Summary
The county’s Department of Emergency Management presented three budget scenarios ranging from a $536,000 target budget to a $760,000 'reasonable ask,' warning that lower funding would eliminate duty‑officer rotation, constrain EOC staffing and reduce on‑demand alerting.
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…
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