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Columbia City adopts mutual-aid pay ordinance so FEMA can reimburse utility responses
Summary
The Common Council unanimously approved an ordinance establishing standardized pay and expense rates for Columbia City Municipal Electric Utility mutual-aid responses so the city can meet FEMA reimbursement rules.
The Columbia City Common Council on June 10 unanimously approved Ordinance 2025-7, a mutual-aid pay and expense ordinance for the Columbia City Municipal Electric Utility intended to ensure FEMA will reimburse the city for mutual-aid responses.
City officials said the ordinance standardizes rates and expense reporting for crews that travel to assist other utilities after storms and other disasters. That standardization, proponents said, is required for FEMA to accept the city’s claims for costs after a declared event.
Sean, Electric department head, told the council the city coordinated the draft with the Indiana Municipal Electric Association and other municipal utilities in the state. “This document is actually required by FEMA. If we do have a FEMA event that they're going to pay for, if we do not have an ordinance, they will not pay for our expenses,” Sean said. He said the ordinance adopts a FEMA schedule for equipment rates and sets a uniform pay rate for personnel during mutual-aid deployments.
Sean said the ordinance calls for paying double time for 16 hours of work during deployments and does not pay for an eight-hour rest/sleep period that crews are required to take. “I don't feel comfortable billing other municipals for my guys to sleep,” he said, adding that the department’s linemen support the approach. He also said the city will not be compelled to send crews to every mutual-aid call; the utility manager and Sean will decide whether a deployment is appropriate given local workload and damage.
Council members asked about liability and insurance; Sean said the hiring utility covers vehicle damage and other claims while crews are on another workplace’s site, and that the city’s insurance was reviewed as part of drafting the ordinance. Sean said the ordinance derives in part from similar ordinances adopted by several other Indiana municipals and that adopting a common structure reduces confusion and disputes when utilities assist one another.
Council member Jennifer moved to approve Ordinance 2025-7 on first reading; Council member Brent seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously among those present. The ordinance will return for a formal second reading and adoption at a subsequent meeting.
Background: Council members and staff said the city has increasingly received requests to send linemen to assist other communities after severe-weather events. The new ordinance is intended to make it clear what the city will charge and what costs FEMA may reimburse if an incident is later declared a federal disaster.
