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Council weighs emergency-manager post and a grant-backed East-tank resilience study
Summary
Public Safety recommended a dedicated emergency-manager position and staff outlined a planning-grant path to study resilience for an at-risk East water tank; council favored contracting a scoping study then deciding on long-term staffing and funding.
Public Safety committee members urged the council to consider a dedicated emergency-manager position after staff described the complexity of modern emergency planning and training requirements. Committee members and Fire Chief Derek said the city needs a designated manager for training, exercises and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC); staff estimated a full-time salary (including benefits) could range in the mid-$70,000s to $88,000, with a total budgetary impact approaching six figures.
Council debated alternatives: contract a third-party consultant to update the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) as a first step, hire a part-time or shared regional manager, or designate internal staff with clearer responsibilities. Several council members favored contracting the plan update as a priority, then deciding whether a part-time or full-time manager is necessary once the scope of ongoing work is clearer. “Maybe the option is contracting the update first and then discussing long-term staffing,” one council member said.
Separately, staff described a grant opportunity tied to the city’s multi-hazard mitigation plan to scope water-infrastructure resilience projects, including the East water tank. The planning grant would cover most of the scoping cost; staff said the total study cost is estimated at about $90,000 and the city’s portion (depending on the grant match) would be a fraction (staff referenced a roughly 25% local match as typical for some planning grants, which would be approximately $22,500). Staff emphasized that following federal planning steps now preserves eligibility for future construction grants, but that the city must budget for reimbursable costs and stay mindful of the timeline.
Council directed the Public Safety and Municipal Utilities committees to return with refined cost figures, contract-cost estimates for plan work, and a staffing recommendation with clearer hours and duties. Staff will seek detailed contractor quotes for EOP updates and consolidate grant consultant input for the water-tank scoping proposal.
