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Klamath County commissioners approve exception to hire assistant emergency manager amid grant risk
Summary
Klamath County commissioners voted to grant an exception to a hiring freeze so the emergency management office can replace an assistant, a move county staff said is required to retain federal EMPG funding and complete the county's natural hazard mitigation plan.
Klamath County commissioners voted Jan. 28 to provide an exception to the county's hiring freeze so the emergency manager can recruit an assistant emergency manager.
The board made the decision after Emergency Manager Ian Fick described the office as a two-person shop and warned that losing the assistant would put an $83,091 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) and the county's Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) at risk.
Fick told the commissioners the county currently expects about $83,000 in EMPG money that covers most of the assistant position and said the assistant's absence would force him to allocate time away from the NHMP, imperiling eligibility for mitigation grants. "If we don't replace that position, the EMPG money is gonna go to my position," Fick said. He added that "the amount that that assistant emergency management position is covered out of the general fund is only 16,000 dollars."
The board debated fiscal constraints and potential program cuts before approving the exception. One commissioner noted the county faces a large projected deficit in next year's general fund allocations and asked how programs could absorb a 32% reduction; Fick said he had already trimmed the program and that deeper cuts would reduce services. Another commissioner framed the decision in public-safety terms, saying the largest loser if emergency management failed would be the public in a crisis.
Motion and vote: The board made and seconded a motion to provide an exception to policy to hire the assistant emergency manager; the motion passed with all commissioners voting in favor. The transcript records three recorded "aye" votes by Commissioner De Groot, Commissioner Minty and Commissioner Nichols.
The emergency manager said he is exploring internal cost savings such as relocating his office to county property to reduce rent (he currently pays about $580 per month in a non-county building) and pursuing additional grants to support operations. The board did not set hiring details or a start date during the meeting.
What happens next: The county will proceed with the hiring-exception process so recruitment can begin. The emergency manager emphasized the NHMP and EMPG linkage and that completing the NHMP is required to retain mitigation grant eligibility.
Sources and evidence: The board's discussion and vote are recorded in the Jan. 28 administrative meeting transcript; key remarks from Ian Fick on grant amounts, the $16,000 general-fund portion of the assistant position and the EMPG/NHMP interdependence are reflected in the transcript.
