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Muscatine council signals support to adopt county disaster plans
Summary
Muscatine City Council signaled consensus to work with Muscatine County emergency management to adopt county disaster plans, replacing the city's older plan; Director Chris Jasper said aligning plans will improve coordination, exercises and access to FEMA reimbursement.
Chris Jasper, director of emergency management and emergency communications for Muscatine County, asked the Muscatine City Council to adopt the county's disaster plans rather than maintain an out-of-date city plan. After a presentation on the county plan framework and mutual-aid functions, the council indicated consensus to work with county staff and bring back formal resolution language for adoption.
Jasper told the council he oversees the county's 22 disaster-response and recovery plans, 911 operations and exercises, and said county plans are reviewed regularly and can open opportunities for FEMA reimbursement. "My recommendation to you folks is to pass our resolution or maybe pass a resolution to just adopt the county plans and do away with your city plans," he said.
Why it matters: Jasper said the city's disaster plan had not been updated for years, and aligning with the county will streamline coordination during incidents that frequently cross municipal boundaries. Chiefs and council members supported the idea, noting training, shared exercises and the benefit of standardized emergency support functions across jurisdictions.
Council direction and next steps: council members and public-safety chiefs offered support and the council verbally agreed to move forward with working with county staff. Jasper and staff said they would provide draft resolution language and other materials for the council to consider formally; several chiefs volunteered to assist when Jasper is unavailable.
What was not decided: the council did not adopt a resolution at the meeting; the action was a direction to pursue adoption and to return with formal documentation and a recommended resolution.
