127th General Assembly

BILL SUMMARY

· Clarifies that a political subdivision may make appropriations for the payment of its expenses under its own program for emergency management as well as for the payment of expenses chargeable to it by agreement for a countywide or regional emergency management agency.

CONTENT AND OPERATION

Emergency management and its financing in current law

There are three ways in which a political subdivision may provide for emergency management. The board of county commissioners of a county and the chief executives of all or a majority of the other political subdivisions within the county may enter into a written agreement establishing a countywide emergency management agency. (R.C. 5502.26.) In lieu of establishing a countywide agency, the boards of county commissioners of two or more counties, with the consent of the chief executives of a majority of the participating political subdivisions of each county involved, may enter into a written agreement establishing a regional authority for emergency management. (R.C. 5502.27.) Each of these is to be financially supported by the political subdivisions entering into the agreement. If the chief executive of any political subdivision has not entered into an agreement for a countywide or regional authority, the chief executive of that political subdivision must establish its own program for emergency management that satisfies the same criteria as the other two types of agencies. (R.C. 5502.271.)

Each political subdivision may make appropriations for the payment of the expenses of its local activities for emergency management and for the payment of the expenses chargeable to that political subdivision by agreement in any county wherein a countywide emergency management agency or regional authority for emergency management has been established. (R.C. 5502.31.)

Financing emergency management clarified by the bill

The bill clarifies the provision pertaining to appropriations by specifying that each political subdivision may make appropriations for the payment of the expenses of its local activities for emergency management when they are incurred by an emergency management agency established by the sole action of a political subdivision that is not included in a countywide or regional agency (R.C. 5502.271) or chargeable to that political subdivision by agreement in any county wherein a countywide emergency management agency has been established (R.C. 5502.26) or a regional emergency management authority has been established (R.C. 5502.27).

HISTORY

ACTION	DATE

Introduced	02-27-07

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