HomeMy WebLinkAboutEM October 2013GRANT COUNTY EMERGENCY DISASTER SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING
GRANT COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER
Lancaster, WI 53813
October 14, 2013
The Grant County Emergency Disaster Services Committee was called to order October 14, at
10:00 a.m. by Chairman Larry Wolf. The following members and personnel were present:
EMERGENCY DISASTER SERVICES COMMITTEE: Vincent Loeffelholz, John Patcle, John Beinborn,
and Bob Scallon. Lester Jantzen and Pat Schroeder are excused.
GUESTS: Sheriff Nate Dreckman, Chief Deputy Jack Johnson, Steve Braun, Emergency
Government and Kelly Bird, Recording Secretary.
Steve Braun verified the agenda had been posted at the County Clerkâs office and Courthouse
by Linda Gebhard and it was also posted on the county website. John B. second by Vince
approved the agenda as mailed. Vince second by Bob approved the minutes from the August
12 and September 15 meetings. All above motions carried.
Under Public Comments Dallas Dietzel of Dickeyville Fire and EMS was present with concerns
about the 1% fee that may be charged for grant writing. Mr. Dietzel strongly disagrees with this
decision and feels that the grants that are awarded benefit all of Grant County. He stated that
he felt the volunteer fire and EMS agencies shouldn't be singled ou t to augment the Emergency
Management department's funding when other departments and communities that they work
with are not charged. He also stated that he believed it was Emergency Management's job to
support emergency preparedness in all of our communities and people already pay taxes to the
county to support that. The 1% charge for grant writing is on the agenda for this meeting and
the committee will discuss under 'new business'.
Under Old Business, Steve updated the committee on the flood that occurred in Boscobel. The
Recovery Committee has approved about $35,000 to date to help people purchase furnaces.
Steve Braun will be meeting with the Chamber of Commerce to talk about other donations that
they have received and to better coordinate with the Long Term Recovery Committee to assist
affected families.
We found out this morning that the CDBG Grant will be awarded to Grant County in the amount
of $495,000. This money will also help with damage caused by the flood. Boscobel will receive
an additional $500,000.
FEMA Public Assistance is still moving along. Despite the government shutdown, FEMA staff
are still working in the area. However, some FEMA supervisory staff have been furloughed
which will likley cause some delays in getting money out to communities. This is a significant
issue for several townships who have large bills that need to be paid ASAP.
The AFG Grant for communications is moving forward. Steve and Sheriff Dreckman agreed
that the problems we were having with the "receive" side of the system have improved enough
that we are comfortable moving forward with the project to improve the "transmit" side of the
system.
The Assistance to Firefighter Grants is also on hold due to the Government Shutdown.
There are no questions or discussion on the 2014 Budget.
Under New Business, the Committee discussed the proposed 1% fee for grant writing. Steve
expressed concerns that adopting the fee would interfere with collaboration among
communities and although it would shore up his department's budget, the action would
ultimately end up costing the county as a whole more than we were gaining. He also expressed
concerns regarding how the program would be implemented, since sometimes they write
grants from scratch, and sometimes they just proofread the narratives and make minor
corrections. It would be difficult to reach any sort of equity by charging this way. It was
motioned by John B. and seconded by Bob to table the 1% grant writing fee for further
consideration. The motioned passed with John Patcle opposing.
Steve briefly discussed a Regional Hazardous Materials Response Level III Team proposal put
forth by the state. At this time Grant County does not have a Hazmat Team that deals with
chemical spills and contracts with Joe Davies County for this. The state is redoing their network
and will be giving money to smaller Hazmat teams to aid the larger Hazmat teams. There is a
considerable amount of money available to help fund the costs of this effort. Steve has put this
project on hold due to ongoing commitments with the flood recovery, but will be discussing it
more in the future.
Steve informed the committee that he is considering an HMGP grant to help purchase a
property in Patch Grove that was damaged beyond economically feasible repair. He will be
submitting a 'pre-application' to the state to see if they would consider the project. It is likely
to be approved, at which time a formal application and some further research will be required.
It was motioned by Vince and second by John B. to adjourn to November 4, 2013 at 1:00 p.m.
Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Vincent Loeffelholz, Secretary
Kelly Bird, Recording Secretary