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Cowlitz County reviews emergency management January finances and role in Longview cold-weather sheltering
Summary
County finance staff presented January budget-to-actuals for Emergency Management and said the department expects a 2024 grant to carry into 2025; staff clarified the county’s role is informational and supportive for city-run cold-weather shelters in Longview and Kelso.
Kathy Funk Baxter, Cowlitz County finance director, told commissioners Monday that Emergency Management’s January financials showed modest activity and no immediate concerns.
Baxter said the department’s intergovernmental revenue budget is $120,009 and that January receipts were $43. She said the largest Emergency Management revenue category is goods and services (budgeted at about $49,076), first-quarter billings had not yet posted and miscellaneous revenue (primarily investment income) was budgeted at $14,300. Baxter added the department anticipates a budget amendment to carry a 2024 grant into 2025.
Larry, identified in the meeting as the emergency-management operational contact, described the county’s role in cold-weather sheltering for Longview and Kelso. He said the county “helps communities when they are looking for shelters to try and locate shelters” and that most shelters remain owned and operated by local organizations or the cities. “We don't provide staff. We don't provide product or locations,” he said. County staff said they provide information and help pass through grants when appropriate.
Commissioners asked how shelter capacity and availability are tracked. Larry said shelters generally manage their own occupancy and “they do provide us information when they are spooling up or in a case where they were over full, they would probably notify us, but that's not a guarantee.” He noted the Kelso-Longview Ministerial Association previously ran the shelter at Nichols Boulevard but stepped back, and the city of Longview is currently operating a shelter at the McClellan Art Center while Kelso-area sheltering is being provided through Kelso Christian Academy.
The presentation covered only January activity and did not include formal action items. Finance staff said annual internal-service billings and other recurring charges often arrive in January and can shift month-to-month results; no specific corrective actions were recommended.
The board did not vote on any changes to the Emergency Management budget during the meeting.
