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Johnson County court votes not to renew DSHS City Readiness Initiative grant, cites state changes and staff burden
Summary
Emergency‑management staff told the court DSHS added exercise and reporting requirements and reduced grant funding; the court voted unanimously to stop renewing the CRI grant, noting much of the grant work duplicates other regional preparedness actions and imposes personnel burdens.
Emergency‑management Director Marshall Moore recommended the court not renew the Texas Department of State Health Services City Readiness Initiative (CRI) grant, saying recent changes to grant requirements make participation a net loss for the county.
Moore reviewed the program’s history and said the current cycle reduced the county’s grant amount and added numerous required tabletop and functional exercises that are, in his view, excessive and in some cases unrelated to the original purpose of distributing medicines from the federal strategic stockpile. He told the court that during COVID the state redirected most of the national stockpile resources and the county’s prior planning efforts did not control distribution decisions during that event.
The director explained the current CRI award for the county is smaller (he referenced the current cycle amount) and that roughly 39% of the grant supports personnel and about $14,000 is budgeted for supplies; he said continuing the grant would require county budget adjustments to cover those recurring items if the county chose not to seek reimbursement.
Commissioners discussed regional exercise schedules (including FIFA‑related exercises) and the availability of other federal and regional exercises that already meet preparedness needs. After discussion, Commissioner Bailey moved, Commissioner Woolley seconded, and the court unanimously voted to withdraw from the CRI grant program for future fiscal years.
Moore said that nonrenewal will have limited operational impact because several recurring technology expenses (Starlink satellite and the Everbridge notification system) are paid through December 2026; the county will absorb one quarter of personnel costs if necessary but staff argued the personnel time is better used on county priorities such as flash‑flood work.
