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Cochise County supervisors review emergency services budget amid federal grant uncertainty
Summary
The Cochise County emergency management office presented a $465,394 FY‑26 budget proposal and warned that cuts or manual reviews of federal grants could shift hundreds of thousands of dollars onto the county general fund and put staffing at risk.
Cochise County emergency manager Dan DeShawn told the Board of Supervisors at a work session that the proposed FY 2026 emergency management budget totals $465,394 and is increasingly dependent on federal grants that may be cut or placed under manual review.
DeShawn said the county currently expects a partial reduction in the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) that historically has required a 50 percent local match. "These funds are to be used to build capacity, not necessarily maintain that capacity," DeShawn said, adding that the county is planning for a possible change that could shift the match rate toward roughly 42 percent or reduce the award further.
The issue matters because the county currently funds two emergency management positions that are approximately split between grant reimbursement and county general fund dollars. If the EMPG is reduced or eliminated, supervisors were told, the general fund would be asked to cover more…
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