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Vernon County seeks comparables, insurance review as it reconsiders four-county hazmat agreement
Summary
Committee discussed the four-county hazmat mutual-aid agreement, the $2,500 annual county contribution established in 1997, questions about liability and insurance costs, equipment ownership, team activation history, and directed staff to get comparable agreements and insurance impact estimates for April.
Vernon County emergency management staff asked the Local Emergency Planning Committee to reexamine terms of a four-county hazardous-materials mutual-aid agreement after one partner county delayed renewal in 2024 and questions surfaced about liability and cost-sharing.
Brandon, the county emergency management director, explained the intercounty agreement is currently two-year in length and noted one covered county failed to re-sign in 2024, creating a short interval when that county technically lacked a team. He said "we would have covered them, but we would have had to go as a state asset, not as a local team." Brandon recommended updating the agreement to add explicit dates (for example, coverage years 2025–2027) and a clear renewal deadline to avoid end-of-year delays.
Under the current arrangement, each participating county pays $2,500 annually into the regional hazmat account, a figure Brandon said has been unchanged since…
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