Emergency management staff told the Bridal Operations Committee on April 25 that the department’s budget request includes wages, equipment to restore the emergency operations center (EOC) technology, regular maintenance for outdoor warning sirens and exploratory work for backup generators at designated shelters.

The department’s budget documents assume no change in part-time hours but include a 2% raise request to be reflected in a July grant cycle, Emergency Director Hal Shulman said. The EMA worksheet lists a grant offset that would cover 50% of wages; without that renewal the department’s direct outlay for the position would be roughly $22,000, Shulman said.

Shulman also requested funding for EOC information-technology replacements after monitors and projectors were lost during power surges about a year and a half ago. He said the EOC has been used for live events, flood response and training, and that functioning wall monitors, projectors and maps are important for efficient incident coordination and exercises. He estimated five small restoration items would total roughly $5,300–$5,400 and said some vendor subsidy discussions were underway.

On equipment and capital, Shulman described three priority groups: (1) essential replacements to restore the EOC and conference capability, (2) vehicle radio and exterior markings for the EMA vehicle, and (3) a later phase to expand the EOC system. He identified a proposal to install a cell-phone booster to improve reception in parts of the police department and town, and said the department is working on mutual-aid MOUs and a volunteer-startup program tied to state emergency management duties. Shulman said tabletop or field exercises to bring first responders together were also proposed but not fully costed.

Shulman raised the possibility of exploring a backup generator and automatic transfer switch for Tri County Senior Center, which the EMA’s shelter planning identified as lacking sufficient backup capacity; an old military generator on site is not large enough and lacks an automatic transfer switch, he said. He said Tri County’s board had reached a similar conclusion and that a new, modern generator is likely the best option.

Committee members asked staff to clarify line-item allocations because some EOC items appear under broad “small equipment replacement” codes; Shulman and staff agreed to follow up with a line-by-line reconciliation to avoid duplication and to identify what is expense versus capital.

The EMA presentation was part of a daylong review intended to narrow questions before formal budget adoption and to prioritize capital requests ahead of revenue updates.