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Wellington trustees press for emergency‑spending policy and continuity plan
Summary
Trustees at Wellington’s May work session prioritized creation of a disaster‑spending policy, an emergency operations plan and a longer continuity of operations (COOP) plan; staff said parts can be outsourced but COOP could take eight to 12 months.
Trustees at a Wellington Town work session on May 20 focused on formalizing how the town would spend money and keep essential services running during disasters.
Trustee Daley asked the board to “focus on policy regarding spending associated with disasters or emergencies,” and said the work should include a comprehensive emergency plan and continuity of operations planning so the town knows “what required resources are necessary.”
The request followed a recent tabletop exercise and staff warnings about the scale of work needed. Kelly, a town staff member, told trustees the emergency operations plan (EOP) can be developed from templates, but the continuity of operations plan—“this system goes down. What’s next?”—is a larger effort and “is more of like an 8 to 12 month process.” Kelly said the town may need to budget to hire a consultant to help draft a COOP.
Mayor Merry Prestes and several trustees said the town already has some mutual‑aid arrangements. A staff member noted the board previously approved a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Larimer County and local response partners; trustees said that MOU provides some emergency support but does not replace a town COOP.
Trustees discussed phasing tasks so the town can deliver near‑term items such as a communications protocol while working toward a full COOP. Staff said an immediate, narrower budget request to outsource portions of the work is likely, while other pieces could be done in‑house if the board accepts tradeoffs in staff time and priorities.
Trustees also asked staff to identify whether generators, potable water contingencies and alternate community spaces would be included in the draft COOP; staff said those are standard COOP elements and would be evaluated as part of scoping.
Trustee Moore noted that public confidence depends on clear, open communication about emergency planning and its limits, and asked staff to return with a proposed calendar and cost estimates for phased work.
Staff said they will circulate the MOU and follow up with trustees individually if clarification is needed before bringing budget requests or a draft scope back to the board.
The session produced discussion and direction to develop scopes and budget estimates; no formal vote or ordinance was taken.
The board instructed staff to return with cost estimates and a recommended phasing plan that would allow a communications protocol and EOP to be advanced quickly while scheduling the more time‑intensive COOP work for the coming budget year.
