Yellowstone County commissioners table proposal to move Disaster and Emergency Services under Public Works after public pushback

The Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners on July 18 moved to table a proposal to change how Disaster and Emergency Services is organized after extended public comment from local fire chiefs, a former DES coordinator and disaster-management experts.

Resident Dennis Pittman told the board that DES ‘‘should be leading the state in the disaster and emergency preparedness, not going backwards,’’ and urged commissioners not to place the office under Public Works. Pittman said having a department head report directly to the commissioners ‘‘has proven effective and productive’’ for public-safety planning and response.

John Staley, representing the Lockwood Fire Department and the Lockwood Fire Board, said local chiefs first learned of the proposal from a newspaper article and that the change ‘‘would add another level of bureaucracy’’ and could slow information flow. Staley asked the board to ‘‘table it until further discussion.’’

Disaster-management practitioner Dave Nordell, who described himself as graduate-prepared with about 30 years’ experience, said disaster managers are routinely placed close to executive leadership to support policy alignment, grant management and rapid operational decision-making. ‘‘Why would you not want that person working directly for you and advising you?’’ Nordell asked the commissioners.

Chief Ehlers of Shepherd Fire, president of the county Fire Council, said DES coordinators respond rapidly when requested and called the proposed change ‘‘an insult,’’ urging the board to consult the chiefs before making structural changes. Jim Crafts, a former DES coordinator who led the office from 1975 through 2010, said the role historically reported directly to the board and warned that adding a layer ‘‘would encumber emergency decision-making.’’

In response to public comment, the chair said the proposal was intended as a coordination effort and that ‘‘there was no direction to change the operating capacity of D.E.S.,’’ stating the job description and responsibilities had not changed. The chair then moved to table the reorganization and to review the structure with local fire chiefs; the board approved that motion by voice vote.

Votes at a glance:
- Approval of claims (listed orally): motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.
- Agenda amendment: emergency management services item moved from consent to the regular agenda; motion approved by voice vote.
- DES reorganization: chair moved to table pending consultation with fire chiefs; motion to table approved by voice vote.
- Consent agenda: motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

What happens next: The commissioners said they will meet with local fire chiefs and other stakeholders to review the organizational structure for DES before the matter returns to the board. No formal change to DES’s day-to-day authorities or job descriptions was reported at the meeting.