Commission approves Cooperative Wildfire System participation statement and delegates signing authority

A state Department of Natural Resources liaison briefed the Kane County Commission on Feb. 10 about the Cooperative Wildfire System (CWS) 2026 participation commitment statement, explaining how the state's formula calculates a county's required mitigation spending and how counties demonstrate that participation through expenditures and in-kind contributions.

The liaison described the formula components (a 10-year fire history with the highest and lowest years removed, plus a high-risk acreage factor) and said those inputs produce a dollar 'participation commitment' that the state expects each cooperating entity to meet through project work, outreach, equipment and other mitigation activities. "Each entity every year gets a participation commitment statement," the liaison said, adding that counties cannot opt out of the cooperator status.

Speakers stressed that many county activities already count toward the commitment: sheriff patrol hours, county roads vegetation work, and other in-kind efforts can be attributed so the county does not necessarily need to spend new general-fund dollars. The liaison emphasized that this statement is an estimate and that individual line items may change during the year as bids arrive or grants are secured.

Commissioners asked whether approving the statement requires a vote and who must sign. Counsel explained the document is statutory in nature rather than a vendor contract and noted that the state requires a county chief executive signature. The commission approved a motion to "approve the cooperative wildfire system 2026 participation commitment statement as presented and give the chair of the commission, currently Gwen Brown, the authority to sign any further documents with non-substantial changes to the dollar amount or the final dollar amount." Counsel clarified that "not substantial" adjustments would remain subject to commission oversight and that a midyear revisit is common.

The liaison also reported the county's Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is being updated (last iteration 2016) and that the state expects alignment between expenditure goals and the CWPP. Commissioners and sheriffs agreed to continue coordination with federal partners (BLM, forest service) for fuels-reduction projects where permitted.

Next steps: The chair will sign the statement as authorized; staff will track expenditures and in-kind contributions, report midyear adjustments to the commission, and continue drafting the updated CWPP for review.