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Hamilton County emergency management explains UASI reimbursements amid federal review delays
Summary
Emergency management director said Urban Area Security Initiative grants fund bomb squads, SWAT, dive teams and other regional response capabilities; reimbursements are taking longer to clear federal review but grants remain active.
Hamilton County’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency told commissioners on Feb. 20 that federal homeland-security grants remain a key funding source for specialty response teams, but reimbursements are undergoing more thorough federal review.
Nick Crosley, director of Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, described the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) as central to sustaining county equipment, regional specialty teams and preparedness programs. "Our average UASI is about 1.4 to 1.6 [million]," Crosley said, and EMPG provides a smaller, dollar-for-dollar match for county emergency management operations.
Crosley said some federal reimbursement reviews that once cleared in days now take about two weeks at the federal level; the county is analyzing exposure because the grants are reimbursement-based. "They are reviewing them, one by one or in batches at the federal level," he said, and that change has lengthened the time before funds flow back to the state.
Crosley listed capabilities funded by the grants: bomb squads, SWAT support, Urban Search and Rescue, a county dive team, specialized mass-care equipment, cyber capabilities and other high-cost items. He said the county houses and maintains equipment for multiple teams and that the recurring local costs for staffing and maintenance are the county’s responsibility even when equipment is grant-funded.
Commissioners expressed concern about reports of possible federal cuts to disaster- and recovery-related programs. Crosley said the administration and regional partners monitor developments in Washington and work with state and federal representatives to outline local impacts.
The board approved a budget adjustment to accept and manage current UASI funding and related reimbursements; administration said it would limit county exposure where possible while continuing to procure required equipment once grants are authorized.
