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Chaffee County to oppose proposed FEMA changes that would raise disaster-assistance thresholds
Summary
The board approved drafting a position letter opposing proposed Federal Emergency Management Agency changes that would raise public-assistance thresholds; commissioners said the proposed changes would shift costs to local governments and could disqualify counties from federal assistance after major disasters.
Chaffee County commissioners unanimously approved consideration of a position letter opposing proposed changes to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance thresholds.
Commissioners said the proposed rule would raise the minimum damage thresholds that trigger FEMA public assistance payments, a change they said would shift large costs onto local governments. "The consideration right now is them, 4 going 4 times the current rate, which would put it well outside of a feasibility or financial feasibility for, I think, any county in the state," a commissioner said, noting that even very large wildfires could fail to meet revised thresholds under the proposal.
Commissioners described the change as a nationwide cost shift and instructed staff to prepare a letter expressing the county's strong support for maintaining current FEMA threshold levels rather than raising the triggers.
Ending: The board passed the motion and staff will prepare a formal position letter for the record and distribution to federal stakeholders.
