Monterey County seeks disaster finance plan after FEMA delays; board creates working group

Monterey County emergency management staff told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 that recovering federal disaster costs through FEMA’s Public Assistance program is time‑consuming, technically complex and subject to rules that change by disaster — and recommended the county form a cross‑departmental finance working group to strengthen cost‑recovery and budgeting for disasters.

Laura Emmons, emergency services manager, walked the board through how federal disaster declarations, state preliminary damage assessments and FEMA’s eligibility reviews interact with local project development and documentation requirements. Emmons said FEMA’s rules require detailed proof for eligibility — including GPS coordinates and photos of debris piles, project‑level invoices, time sheets and procurement documentation — and that frequent policy and staff changes at FEMA have lengthened review times.

“This process is inherently unpredictable with no guarantees of reimbursement,” Emmons told supervisors. She presented county estimates for recent storms and the status of FEMA project reviews, noting that the county had submitted tens of millions of dollars in potential claims from multiple winter storms and that final federal obligations could be substantially lower after FEMA eligibility determinations.

Supervisor Church moved — and Supervisor Daniels seconded — to direct the County Administrator’s Office to create a disaster finance working group to examine strategies for maximizing reimbursements, improve internal documentation and develop resilient county financial policies for disasters. The board also directed the Budget Committee to receive a detailed accounting of outstanding FEMA claims and reimbursements and to consider whether county contingency and reserve policies should change.

The motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: County officials said repeated large disasters over recent years have strained staff capacity and that administrative burdens and unclear FEMA deadlines have delayed reimbursements. County staff requested more consistent internal procedures and, where appropriate, consultant support to collect required documentation quickly after events and to coordinate with state and federal partners.

Next steps: The CAO’s office will propose the working group membership, terms of reference, and a reporting schedule; the Budget Committee will receive an updated, itemized report on outstanding FEMA projects and estimated county exposure.