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Select Board delegates temporary emergency-declaration authority to town administrator, emergency management director
Summary
The Select Board approved a policy that allows the Town Administrator and the Emergency Management Director to make short-term emergency declarations (the latter limited to partial, geofenced declarations) to enable nimble response between Select Board meetings.
The Select Board voted to adopt a policy authorizing delegation of temporary emergency-declaration authority to town officials to enable quicker response in emergencies without waiting for a Select Board meeting.
Fire Chief John Sullivan, who serves as the town's emergency management director, explained the proposed change as part of the town's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. Under the policy approved by the board, the town administrator may issue a declaration covering the entire town; the emergency management director may issue a partial, geographically limited declaration to address localized incidents. The measure is intended to bridge the time between an incident and the Select Board's ability to convene a public meeting for a formal declaration.
Chief Sullivan said the language mirrors standard practice in municipalities without a single executive (for example, a mayor) with unilateral declaration authority and that the Select Board would still review and either extend or rescind declarations during a publicly noticed meeting. The policy also anticipates coordination with state or regional declarations and includes limits on delegation and a reporting requirement back to the Select Board.
The Select Board approved the policy with a friendly wording edit requested by a board member; the vote was unanimous.
