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Emergency management director says FY26 operating request down 22.7% as duties shift; Everbridge signups exceed 2,000 households
Summary
Emergency Management Director Russ Kimes told the council the FY26 operating request falls by 22.7% largely because part of his position’s salary will move to the fire department; the office highlighted Everbridge outreach and FEMA reimbursements after August 2024 flooding.
Russ Kimes, New Canaan’s emergency management director, presented the office’s FY26 operating and capital requests on March 27 and said the operating request is down 22.7% year over year. Kimes told the council that a principal reason for the reduction is that a portion of his salary is being transferred to the fire department to reflect his new role in fire inspections and investigations.
Kimes described emergency management activities in 2024 and planning for the year ahead, including expanded use of the Everbridge mass‑notification system (which the office has repurposed at no additional subscription cost). He said more than 2,000 households — roughly one in three town households, as he characterized it — have signed up to receive alerts, and that departmental templates now let public‑safety agencies send targeted messages during storms and other events.
Kimes reviewed significant incidents from the prior year, notably the August 2024 flooding that he said was a presidentially declared disaster; he said FEMA-listed assistance to residents exceeded $90,000 and that the town expects roughly $70,000–$80,000 to cover overtime and equipment costs incurred during the response. The office also cited exercises, training and multiagency coordination around election security, mass‑casualty and traffic‑incident management.
On capital, Kimes said the only projected FY26 capital expense is the Motorola radio hardware and software update agreement (year five of five in the current contract). He said the town owns and maintains its municipal radio system and that he budgeted a conservative 12% escalation in out‑years for planning purposes.
Kimes also noted that several regional assets — shelter trailers and electronic message boards — are under town custodianship and that the emergency management office funds maintenance for those items.
Kimes closed by answering council questions about training, equipment caches and regional coordination.
