Calvert County emergency grants paused by FEMA; commissioners direct county review

Calvert County emergency management officials told the Board of County Commissioners on March 11 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has put several federal grants on administrative hold, delaying reimbursement to the county and leaving roughly $654,660.94 in unexpended hazard-mitigation funds and more than $900,000 in outstanding reimbursement requests.

The funding pause affects multiple programs, Emergency Management Division Chief Mike Grierson said, but “the funding is all that’s being held up right now.” Grierson and Public Safety Director Dave McDowell said local work on projects can continue, but the county will have to forward-fund costs while it waits for state and federal reimbursements.

Why it matters: the hold increases the county’s short-term cash needs and could slow projects that reduce flood and cliff‑erosion risk for homeowners. Officials said several hazard‑mitigation projects and state homeland security reimbursements are affected, including elevation and property‑acquisition efforts that already have contractor work and demolition underway.

Grierson reported the county’s hazard mitigation portfolio includes an elevation bundle (three homes) with $106,385.95 in unexpended funds and $100,725.74 in submitted but unreimbursed costs; a multi‑house acquisition bundle (three homes) with $548,274.99 unexpended and $815,295.95 already spent and awaiting reimbursement; and a small management‑fee reimbursement (staff time) of $8,285.59 not yet reclaimed. He also said the county had expended roughly $735,000 on a port security project and had filed reimbursement paperwork.

Grierson warned the county had no timeline for FEMA’s review and described the agency’s scrutiny as focusing on subrecipients and certain sheltering activities. “It’s just too early to tell,” he said of how long the hold will last.

To reduce short‑term exposure, county staff recommended pausing early‑stage acquisitions and elevations where no ground has been broken, continuing the demolition that was already underway for one cliff‑side property, and finishing a small set of State Homeland Security Program projects that are deep in procurement or finance. Grierson also recommended the county continue accepting homeowner applications and processing paperwork, because the hold affects only reimbursement, not the county’s ability to prepare projects.

After the presentation, a commissioner moved to direct the Office of the County Administrator to review and evaluate the county’s existing federal grants, including those used by county agencies and the Board of Education; the board approved the motion by voice vote. Commissioners later accepted staff’s recommendations to pause early‑stage items and continue the projects already in procurement.

What officials will do next: staff will continue daily contact with the Maryland Department of Emergency Management and FEMA as available and report updates to the board. The board asked the county administrator to produce an inventory of federal grants and the near‑term fiscal exposure to support budgeting and contingency planning.

Speakers quoted in this story are identified in county records and the meeting transcript: Mike Grierson, Emergency Manager, and Dave McDowell, Public Safety Director. Other staff present included Stacy O’Donnell, hazard mitigation specialist, and grant specialist Barbara Warner.

Ending: Commissioners said they will monitor state calls and recommended periodic updates from Emergency Management as new information arrives.