Long-serving EMA director and deputy to retire; Boone County to post interim director and consider full-time role

Boone County’s emergency management leadership will change this month after the long-serving EMA director and deputy — Mike Martin and Russ Dulan — notified the county they will retire June 30, the county’s director of administration said June 1.

Nick, the county’s director of administration, told commissioners the EMA director and deputy have served in the agency for roughly 28 years and the county is one of two in the state that currently has a part-time EMA director. He said the county will post an interim, part-time director immediately and discuss in upcoming budget workshops whether to convert the position to full-time, noting that 40–50% of the director’s salary is currently funded by grants depending on population and that converting the role would require council consultation.

Why it matters: EMA leadership oversees disaster preparedness, response coordination, training and administration of emergency-management grants. The retirements create operational continuity and funding questions that the county will address in budget discussions.

What’s next: County staff will post the interim role, coordinate with the county council on funding options and continue work on an updated job description for the EMA director and deputy positions.