County hears FEMA hazard-mitigation pre-application; staff seeks IGA and possible interim funding mechanism

County staff presented two FEMA/OEM pre-applications seeking hazard-mitigation funds for post-fire planning and on-the-ground fuel-management projects related to the Lonerock fire.

The presentation described a planning application to expand GIS-based resource maps for firefighters and a project application that would target juniper removal, annual-grass treatments and biomass removal across thousands of acres. Staff estimated a planning proposal near $200,000 and a project proposal around $1.7 million with a 25% required match (about $480,000). Staff said they will pursue in-kind and grant matches and have already submitted proposals to other funders.

County staff asked the court to approve entering an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to allow the county to be the grant recipient and to consider a mechanism so the county could advance funds on a reimbursement basis if a large project is awarded and the conservation district or subrecipient cannot front project costs. "We will not be asking the county for any funding on this," staff said about the match plans, "but we would ask if the county could consider advancing funds if a large project were to come through," noting FEMA awards are reimbursement-based.

Commissioners asked about budgeting, audit compliance, and timelines; staff said selections may be announced in early January and, if chosen, project performance periods could begin in 2025 and run multiple years. The court directed staff to send the IGA to county legal for review with the goal of having an agreement in place before sub-application deadlines.