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Chaffee County moves Office of Emergency Management under sheriff’s office
Summary
The board approved resolution 2025-18 to reorganize the county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to report under the sheriff’s office and to reinstate local disaster-declaration and spending authority; staff said no immediate budget changes were expected.
Chaffee County commissioners approved resolution 2025-18 to reorganize the Office of Emergency Management so it reports to the sheriff’s office and to reinstate authority to declare a local disaster emergency and grant spending authority for response measures.
County staff described the change as an administrative reorganization intended to integrate emergency operations with the sheriff’s office for communications and unified command during incidents. The reorganization follows an evaluation involving the sheriff’s office and the county emergency manager, Rich Adkins, and mirrors organizational structures used in other jurisdictions.
A county official said the change should be "seamless on the outside" and that no immediate financing adjustments were identified; staff suggested there may be long-range efficiencies from leaning on a larger office for emergency operations. “It really just has to do with internal structures and communication,” the official said.
The resolution also reappeals a prior county resolution (2016-35) and reinstates the board’s delegation to declare local disaster emergencies and authorize emergency spending. Commissioners approved the reorganization by voice vote; the transcript records no roll-call tally and staff said day-to-day operations and financing remain unchanged in the near term.
County staff noted the move will facilitate succession planning for the emergency manager role and better integrate joint operations among county responders and public-land partners during incidents.
