Polk County Emergency Management budget faces big cuts
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
A recommendation to slash Polk County Emergency Management's budget by nearly half was retracted late last week after supervisors were warned the proposal would devastate response capabilities.
Why it matters: The agency oversees a county-wide emergency plan, conducts training programs and coordinates recovery efforts, including for floods and tornadoes.
- While last week's decision gives the agency a one-year reprieve from cuts, Board of Supervisors Chair Matt McCoy tells Axios broader budget constraints persist.
Driving the news: The county now expects cities to step up and pay more of the budget in a renegotiation process in the coming months, McCoy says.
- The expectation comes as local governments wrestle with their own budget shortfalls.
Catch up quick: Iowa law requires an emergency management commission in every county whose members include a supervisor and each city's mayor to coordinate disaster response.
- In Polk, the county and its 16 city governments contribute most of the $1.2 million budget for its agency's seven staffers.
State of play: Local government contributions are mainly based on population, with DSM contributing the most — $106,000 in recent years.
- For decades, Polk supervisors have allocated beyond its contractual share to help pay personnel costs and improve county-wide service.
Zoom in: If the recommendation had passed, Polk County would have cut its roughly $900,000 contribution to around $315,000 in the budget year that starts in July.
- That would have resulted in the loss of at least four of the agency's employees, director A.J. Mumm told supervisors.
What they're saying: Supervisor Angela Connolly said during the budget presentation that she would not support the cut recommended by interim county administrator Frank Marasco.
- Mumm tells Axios the year delay gives cities and the county time to prepare.
The intrigue: A recent Iowa law that limits property tax growth is lower than inflation and squeezing local governments, McCoy tells Axios, and government consolidations are likely in the coming years.
What's next: Supervisors will hold a budget forum at 6pm on Tuesday at the Polk County Administration Building or online.