Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves resolution to pay disaster‑response contract workers, approves budget transfers
Summary
Veneta City Council approved Resolution 3,899 to hire temporary contract employees for disaster response at $20 per hour plus overtime (to be reimbursed by federal or state agencies) and approved FY2025–26 budget transfers to reallocate funds across departments.
The Veneta City Council voted July 7 to adopt Resolution 3,899 to allow temporary contract employment and pay for personnel who deploy to disaster responses, with pay set at $20 per hour plus required overtime; the city will seek reimbursement from FEMA or other state and federal partners.
Staff explained the change responds to past practice where responders used vacation time or volunteered when deployed to out‑of‑area disasters. "They could respond to the disaster... they'd be paid and then we will be able to get that money reimbursed from... FEMA or a state EM through an EMAC agreement," the presenting official said, while acknowledging that reimbursement has historically taken months or years in some cases.
Council members discussed reimbursement timing and agreed to proceed, noting the city had deployed personnel to major storms historically and that the program gives career and volunteer responders the option to be paid without burning leave. The council approved the resolution by voice vote with no opposition recorded.
Separately, the council approved FY 2025–26 budget transfers intended to ensure proper allocation of funds across departments and accounts and to maintain compliance with budgetary requirements. Staff said these transfers will be followed by finance‑committee review and additional reporting to the full council.
