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Lindon adopts updated Emergency Operations Plan; emergency manager announces resignation
Summary
The city council adopted a revised Emergency Operations Plan that preserves an annual promulgation/review schedule; emergency manager Kelly Hoose Johnson announced she will resign effective Oct. 10 and staff outlined next steps for succession, grants and regional coordination.
The Lindon City Council adopted an updated Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that retains annual maintenance and promulgation while clarifying succession and operational terminology. Kelly Hoose Johnson, the city’s emergency manager, informed the council she has resigned and that her last day will be Oct. 10; she briefed the council on the plan changes and on items that will require follow-up by staff.
Johnson said the plan’s changes are “fairly negligible” but important: the support annex F (succession plan for mayor pro tem) was updated and the successor-to-the-emergency-manager language was clarified to preserve continuity of operations and eligibility for certain grants. Johnson noted many grants require that a jurisdiction have a formal succession plan and that the plan’s promulgation page is used for state reporting and some grant applications.
Councilmembers discussed how often the EOP should be formally presented and re-promulgated. Johnson recommended no more than a three-year interval between formal presentations to council; other members favored retaining annual promulgation while a new emergency manager is onboarded. The council agreed to keep the maintenance activity on an annual schedule and strike an optional multi-year promulgation sentence from the promulgation document, leaving annual review and maintenance in section 7.6.0.4.
Johnson also advised the council that federal grant and program structures are in flux (FEMA and DHS changes were noted) and that the support annex addressing recovery and mitigation funding may need updates after federal rules settle. She referenced the Utah County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and ongoing regional coordination including the Utah County Special Response Team (SRT) and mutual-aid planning with neighboring jurisdictions and school districts for off-campus evacuation and reunification planning.
Johnson introduced a proposed ground-level weather-station project to improve local detection of severe, short-duration storms. She said National Weather Service radar has limited low-level coverage in Utah County because of mountain interference and that ground stations could help provide earlier local alerts; staff indicated coordination with the Utah Lake Authority and Utah Valley stakeholders is planned. Johnson acknowledged she will not have time to finish the feasibility work before her departure and introduced Melinda Sleeter and Uday Teke as local contacts who will continue that work.
Mayor and council praised Johnson for her years of service; Chief Brower and City Administrator Adam Cowie thanked Johnson for building a strong foundation for the city’s emergency management program. Council directed staff to repost the emergency manager position, continue the SRT coordination, and return to council with updates on grant impacts and interlocal agreements.
