Council reviews emergency management handbook mailing and EOC renovation proposal

The council reviewed two emergency-management items on Feb. 2: a proposal to print and mail an OEM resident handbook to all households and a capital request to complete an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) renovation.

Jeremy, the village OEM director, described a 28-page emergency-preparedness handbook available on the village website and said printing and mailing hard copies to residential addresses would cost roughly $11,000. "It's basically, you know, emergency preparedness 101 handbook for residents," he said, listing contents including shelter-in-place guidance, grab-and-go kit checklists and contact numbers for FEMA, the Red Cross and utilities.

Council members favored the idea but recommended a communications campaign so residents expect and value the mailing rather than discarding it. Jeremy also presented an architect's proposal for the EOC: interior reconfiguration to create one secure operations room with associated technology (radio, screens, furniture) and to relocate staff offices; the requested appropriation would round out prior capital work and finish the project.

What’s next: both items remain in the capital and operating prioritization process and will be revisited during the administration's capital review prior to the next budget session.