Court members debated whether to set a $51,000 salary for an Emergency Management (EM) director position and whether the role should be full time. The court did not adopt the proposed $51,000 figure.

Staff presented background: the state and city typically reimburse a share of EM director pay (state ~50%, city ~25% cited) and some counties pay part time. The proposed FY26 budget line included funds for the position, but several court members said $51,000 was excessive given comparable counties and asked for a lower figure or a part‑time arrangement. One member noted Keiko/benchmark data showing averages in the range of about $22,000 for similar‑sized counties that responded to the survey; another cited higher outliers.

The person being considered for the role (current CSIP/automation director, who also performs EM duties) addressed the court to describe the responsibilities and said she would accept part‑time status but not a full‑time expectation absent appropriate compensation and resources. The court discussed reimbursement mechanics and the need to document salary splits for state and city reimbursement.

There was no final adoption of a $51,000 salary; court members asked staff to revisit budget lines and to bring a proposal consistent with reimbursement rules and job duties to a future meeting. The matter was left for further consideration and will return to the court with clarified duties and budget figures.