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Lincoln County EMA budget unchanged overall; grant timing and tower leases complicate finances
Summary
The Emergency Management Agency reported only small budget increases tied to a leased phone line, but flagged uncertainty in EMPG/FEMA reimbursements and ongoing costs tied to tower/trunking leases that the county expects to resolve over time.
The Emergency Management Agency (EMA) presented a budget largely unchanged from the prior year, with only small adjustments tied to utilities and a leased phone line used for the emergency operations center.
The EMA director said the office shows a modest shortfall in the current accounting period but has roughly a year and a half of revenue on current contracts to absorb the gap. The director described a lease arrangement for tower/trunking services that currently costs the county roughly $7,700 monthly; staff said that once the county stops renting tower space and agencies move to their own infrastructure, the county expects that revenue and cost separations to improve.
The agency also reported uncertainty around the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) application cycle and FEMA reimbursement rules. "The EMPG application cycle hasn’t even started yet because FEMA doesn’t know what they’re doing," the director said; staff added that the EMPG reimbursement model has shifted and the county now expects smaller eligible reimbursements, often limited to wages and certain program costs.
The EMA director said the agency hopes to gain customers and revenue next year, and mentioned an upcoming meeting with the Lore Foundation to discuss potential resources. No formal motions or votes were taken during the EMA review.
