Select Board reviews local emergency plan but tables final approval to correct inconsistencies
Summary
The Northfield Select Board reviewed a draft 2025 Local Emergency Management Plan on May 27 but tabled final approval so staff can correct inconsistencies and add missing operational details before it is posted and adopted.
The Select Board reviewed the 2025 Local Emergency Management Plan and an accompanying supplement on May 27 and decided to table final approval until staff correct editorial inconsistencies and fill missing operational details.
Town staff and emergency-management volunteers walked the board through the plan, explaining its role in preserving grant eligibility and enabling federal or state reimbursement after declared incidents. Board members and attendees identified multiple items that need correction or clarification before adoption: whether the town can issue Vermont Alert messages directly or must request the state to send them; which shelter locations allow pets; a missing email address for one of the named liaisons; an empty slot for an animal-control officer; incomplete backup-power listings and laptop availability; and a lack of clearly stated emergency purchasing spending limits.
Board members also asked staff to confirm contacts for animal-response partners, such as Central Vermont Disaster Animal Response, and to clarify the process for declaring and communicating which shelters are open. One board member recommended the supplement be “bulletproof” with accurate contact details because it will be used under stress during an incident.
The board agreed there was time before the plan’s formal due date in June to consolidate corrections, asked staff to post the corrected plan on the town website and asked staff to provide updated contact emails and generator information. The item was tabled for action at the next meeting once those edits are made.
