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Union County authorizes shared emergency-management pay, forms mitigation task force
Summary
Union County commissioners approved an SLA obligating the county to pay 50% of the emergency management director's salary, formed a Mitigation Task Force and approved short-term steps including a courthouse closure for electrical work and EMA travel to a Sept. conference.
At a meeting Aug. 20 in Elk Point, the Union County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize Chairman Richard Headid to sign a service-level agreement that commits the county to pay 50% of the emergency management director’s salary and benefits, officials said.
EMA Westcott told commissioners the county tested its generator on Aug. 8, attended long-term recovery meetings on Aug. 8 and Aug. 13, and that a county declaration of disaster had been signed on Aug. 15. Commissioners Michael Dailey and Tom Kimmel moved and seconded the SLA authorization; the motion carried.
The board also approved travel for EMA Westcott to attend an EMA conference in Chamberlain, S.D., Sept. 10–12, and voted to form a Mitigation Task Force to guide recovery and resilience activities. Public Building Manager Sexton had notified the board that the courthouse would close from 8–11 a.m. Aug. 21 for emergency electrical updates; the board approved that closure and directed notices to be posted on the county website and at courthouse entrances.
Why it matters: The SLA formalizes partial local funding for emergency management staff during an active recovery period after recent emergencies, and the Mitigation Task Force is intended to coordinate longer-term resilience and recovery planning. Next steps include scheduling and staffing the mitigation body and processing the signed SLA.
