Committee approves budget adjustment to accommodate NG9‑1‑1 grant and potential hazard mitigation funding

The Dunn County Judicial and Law Committee approved a budget adjustment that adds line items for a pending Federal Emergency Management Administration BRIC hazard mitigation application and final NG9‑1‑1 grant funding.

Committee member Welsh moved to approve the budget change and Jetson seconded; the motion passed by voice vote. The change includes line‑item entries tied to a hazard mitigation BRIC application and a finalized NG9‑1‑1 grant amount the county cited as $272,192.37, plus a separate figure of $38,164 tied to hazard mitigation, according to committee discussion.

Emergency management staff told the committee the county had received mixed messages from the state WEM (Wisconsin Emergency Management) office: applications with project code "02/2004" were denied, while the application submitted under code "02/2003" remains pending. The staff member said the county is inserting a budget line now so it can begin work immediately if and when formal approval arrives. "If it's not approved, then the line item would just go unused," the staff member said.

The NG9‑1‑1 grant was described as part of a statewide modernization effort that will move 911 systems beyond landline and enhanced 911 to support geospatial coordinates, text‑to‑911 and richer data to dispatch centers and to standardize certain emergency medical dispatch procedures across counties. "It's going to encompass a lot of things," the emergency management staff said, noting the state has set policy expectations for consistent practices among county 911 centers.

The committee approved the adjustment by voice vote and moved the budget language into county finance processes so the county will be ready to accept and expend grant funds if official notice of award arrives.