Emergency management seeks countywide continuity plan, proposes subscription joint emergency management system

The Kane County emergency management director updated the Judicial and Public Safety Committee on May 14 about recent flood‑response activity, volunteer program expansion and FY27 priorities.

The director reported the county narrowly avoided major flooding, distributed thousands of sandbags, and credited volunteers for expanding capacity from 38 to 78 volunteers since 2023. "We're really proud of Nicole Sprague, our planning specialist," he said, noting her statewide presentation on debris management.

On budgeting, the director described three funds: a volunteer fund (current balance about $50,000), the local emergency planning committee fund for hazardous materials planning, and the general fund. He said the county was awarded a three‑year grant to perform a commodity flow study tracking chemicals moving through the county by rail and truck; vendor selection and an RFP will proceed in 2026 with work planned in 2027. He added the emergency management office plans to use roughly $12,000 of volunteer fund balance in 2027 for volunteer support.

The office also proposed launching a Kane County joint emergency management subscription service to provide pre‑disaster planning, training and exercises for municipalities, modeled in part on existing regional approaches. That subscription program is not currently in the FY27 budget; the director said he would return with a budget amendment this fall if enough communities sign up. He described countywide continuity of operations planning, a two‑day functional exercise, and technology and personnel needs such as replacing aging mobile devices and exploring collaboration/project management software.

Committee members had no formal votes on the subscription proposal; the item was presented for early discussion and potential future amendment to the county budget.