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Dubuque County emergency manager defends grant portfolio and asks board to consider boosting Tom Hancock funds
Summary
Emergency management coordinator Tom Berger briefed supervisors on hazmat planning grants, a $100,709 hazmat readiness cost from the city contract, and the recurring Tom Hancock grant ($125,000). Supervisors asked staff to model increases to the Tom Hancock allocation to keep pace with equipment cost inflation.
Tom Berger, Dubuque County’s emergency management coordinator, told supervisors the department’s FY27 request includes grant-funded hazardous-materials planning and training (HMEP) and routine operating amounts intended to maintain a 20% ending balance.
Berger described the county’s hazmat arrangement with the City of Dubuque — the city provides technician-level response and equipment while the county and smaller jurisdictions cover a share of readiness costs. "The FY27 request there is the $100,709," Berger said, referring to the city-supplied breakout for hazmat readiness costs.
Berger also reviewed the Tom Hancock grant program for volunteer fire and EMS agencies, which has historically been funded at $125,000. He said the program helps small departments buy equipment and noted the maximum award per project is $50,000. Several supervisors suggested the board consider increasing the Tom Hancock pool to $150,000–$175,000 to reflect rising equipment prices and asked staff to calculate the property-tax impact of such a change.
The emergency management presentation included a summary of the revolving loan fund for apparatus and equipment (roughly $490,000 available), the county’s hazard mitigation planning schedule (required five-year updates), and Federal Emergency Management Agency grant timing uncertainties that the county is tracking.
Supervisors did not adopt a funding change during the session but asked Berger and Stella to present updated numbers showing the tax effect of any increase to the Tom Hancock grant program.
