Brandon Moore, Smith County emergency management coordinator, presented a multi-year plan for emergency-management assets and staffing and asked the commissioners to consider funding to improve preparedness, response and recovery capacity.

Moore said mitigation, recovery and community engagement are core gaps in current capacity and described three primary staffing requests: a community engagement liaison to recruit and train volunteers and strengthen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) activity; a recovery and mitigation specialist to pursue grant funding and manage mitigation projects; and a larger capital plan for a mobile command unit or used bus and a mass-casualty/reunification cargo trailer.

Grant and hardware details: Moore said a regional council of governments approval should pay for the cargo trailer body but not for the internal kit; he requested funding (roughly $15,000 applied for in a grant for trailer supplies) to stock a reunification trailer with dry-erase boards, tables, chairs and traffic-control gear. For a command unit he presented options: a used bus that could be retrofitted for roughly $130,000 to $170,000 depending on condition, or a command trailer option he found at a conference for about $130,000 with generator and Wi-Fi.

Moore said Year 2 and Year 3 priorities could include sheltering and transport equipment (shelter trailers, cots, lifts), small machinery (lift trucks) and mobile restrooms/showers for shelters. He proposed increasing the disaster line item to $20,000 and said deployments and rostered equipment could generate revenue on state mutual-aid deployments.

Community engagement and grants: Moore emphasized that a community liaison would build volunteer capacity and help bring church, school and neighborhood organizations into mitigation plans; a recovery/mitigation coordinator would write grants and run mitigation projects such as outdoor warning systems and partnerships with TxDOT.

Commission discussion: commissioners asked about pull-and-tow capabilities for trailers, grant prospects and whether existing resources could be shared among departments. Moore said county vehicles (three-quarter-ton pickups) could tow the cargo trailer and that he expected the council of governments grant decision in December. Several commissioners praised the proposal and urged phased deployment.

No action was taken; Moore's request will be considered in the FY-26 budget process.