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Bannock County approves one-year lease for emergency management office using pass-through grant funds
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved a one-year lease at the Seacock building for the county Office of Emergency Management, with rent to be paid from a pass-through Homeland Security grant; commissioners attached a one-year term to the motion and requested measurable deliverables.
The Bannock County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 5 to approve a one-year lease for the county Office of Emergency Management to occupy space at the Seacock building, with rent to be paid from pass-through Homeland Security grant funding.
Wes Jones, of the Bannock County Office of Emergency Management, told commissioners the grant funds proposed for rent come from the Homeland Security Grant program and "would be used for other emergency operation type functions" if not used for rent.
Commissioners pressed staff on whether using the grant for rent would short other programs. Jones said it would not: "No," he said when asked whether other programs would be shorted if the funds were used for rent. Jones and commissioners discussed who would benefit from the co-location; Jones said the arrangement would benefit "citizens" and "all the nonprofit organizations that are set up for support and assistance to community well-being and welfare," mentioning the Association on Aging, the American Red Cross and Partnership Prosperity as partners.
Commissioner Mueller and others sought measurable deliverables to judge whether the leased space improved emergency operations. Jones identified three measures: increased personnel capacity for the emergency response cadre, feedback from neighboring communities and partner organizations, and expanded training capacity and certifications.
A motion to approve the move, amended to specify a one-year lease at the Seacock building, passed on a voice vote. Commissioners emphasized the lease term would allow staff to test whether the co-location increased collaboration and training capacity ahead of the county's planned emergency facility on county property.
At the meeting staff clarified that although the rent will be paid from pass-through grant funds, every dollar is processed through the county budget and must be budgeted. Commissioners asked for assurance the grant rent would not jeopardize other county programs; staff indicated the grant is a pass-through and would not reduce core county-funded programs.
The board asked staff to track the deliverables Jones identified and revisit the arrangement if it did not produce expected efficiencies within the one-year period. The motion passed as amended.
