Phyllis Little is punctual when it comes to doing things the right way.
The Cullman County Emergency Management Agency Director wants all the ‘i’s dotted and all the ‘t’s crossed.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed state EMAs across the country they would have to make some changes in order to remain eligible for future grants. One of the new guidelines handed down was to rewrite the agency's long-term Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
Originally, Little and Assistant EMA Director Kelly Allen planned to do the work themselves, but with the March 31, 2013 deadline creeping closer, Little has now opted to hire an outside contractor to rewrite the plan using unexpected supplemental funding the agency recently received.
"I was a little worried about the March 31 deadline," Little said. "And too, if we miss any part of it, we won't be getting any Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) federal funds for the 2012 fiscal year to keep our operations going. I just didn't want to take a chance."
The supplemental funding amount Little received was roughly $11,900. She told the Cullman County Commission during their bi-monthly meeting last week she doesn’t expect the project to cost the full amount.
She added she feels fully confident in the contractor chosen.
“The guy is well versed in this,” she said. “I feel confident we’ll be done in the correct time, the corrections will be made, and we won’t have to worry about missing some requirement at the last minute. I don’t want the county to come up short. I want the county to get the full measure of funding that is available for us.”
* Ashley Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 225, or by email at agraves@cullmantimes.com
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