LaSalle County board members voted to forward proposed changes to the emergency management budget — including fund 48 (public-safety operations) and fund 67 (donations/LEPC) — to the finance office after presentations and discussion about equipment, grants and volunteer support. The motion to forward fund 48 was made by Tom and seconded by Wally; the motion carried unanimously. A separate motion by Wally, seconded by Ray, sent fund 67 to finance and was recorded as approved 6–0.

During the budget presentation, a staff member reported a vendor quote of $46,030 to repave a parking lot; that figure was presented as “today’s pricing” and subject to change. The presenter also described a proposed purchase of a new light tower/generator to replace a county-owned unit he said dated to 2005; equipment expense in the budget was increased to cover the purchase. The presenter said a grant-funded equipment line of $7,500 would be used to offset part of the light-tower cost if the grant is awarded. One board member asked whether the grant money would be treated as revenue; staff replied that grant funding would flow as revenue into the general fund where applicable.

Grant changes and federal funding items were discussed in detail. The presenter said the HMEP education line was reduced by $520 because that grant “no longer applies to our county” and the funding source was removed from the budget. The presenter also said the EMA (federal Emergency Management Agency) grant had produced $43,670 so far this year; later in discussion the presenter referenced $43,006.70 as an EMA figure that would appear in general-fund revenue, reflecting inconsistent figures in the record. The meeting noted that federal grant funding cycles run from October through September and that a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the EMA grant had reached the state, indicating at least another year of funding availability.

The board discussed the county’s volunteer-led field service unit and the LEPC donations account, which the presenter described as receiving small municipal donations when the county’s field service unit assists a municipality. The presenter estimated roughly $1,500 in anticipated volunteer-donation receipts and described how the LEPC account covers costs for a required full-scale exercise every three years (printing, meals, training and other incident-simulation costs) and volunteer safety equipment such as traffic cones and highway-safety gear.

Board member Ray described attending a volunteer appreciation dinner and recommended exploring tiered recognition (for example, bronze/silver/gold awards or small gift cards) and ensuring adequate training funds; the presenter confirmed milestone awards and said some volunteers turn in close to 1,000 hours. The presenter also said the county bills responsible parties under a “spiller pays” ordinance for hazardous-materials incidents and that some municipalities voluntarily provide modest payments (for example, $250) to cover services such as parade traffic control.

After discussion the board approved forwarding the fund items to finance, voted to pay bills, and adjourned. The motions to forward funds and to pay bills passed unanimously.

Numbers and program details reported in the meeting should be verified with county finance staff: the transcript contains multiple similar EMA figures and does not consistently specify some line-item accounting treatments.