§127A-5 County emergency management agency. (a) The mayor of each county shall have direct responsibility for emergency management within the county, including the organization, administration, and operation of a county emergency management agency.

(b) Each county emergency management agency shall perform emergency management functions within the territorial limits of the county within which it is organized, coordinate all emergency management plans within the county, and cooperate as closely as possible with the agency and emergency management agencies in the other counties in all aspects of emergency management.

(c) Each county shall be responsible for the establishment, naming, and operation of a county emergency management agency under the mayor's direction, and shall enact ordinances to establish the county emergency management agency and ensure that the mayor and the county's emergency management agency have the powers necessary to receive state and federal funds and carry out the functions of this chapter at the county level. The ordinances shall comply with powers established under sections 127A-12 and 127A-13.

(d) Each county, under the mayor's direction, shall make appropriations and authorize expenditures for the purposes of this chapter, including for use as matching funds for federal aid, out of the normal revenues or fund balances or surpluses of the counties, notwithstanding any legal restrictions upon the purposes for which the funds may be expended, except that pension and retirement funds, funds set aside for the redemption of bonds or the payment of interest thereon, trust funds, loan funds, and funds received from the federal government or from any person for specific purposes shall not be affected.

(e) Each county, under the mayor's direction, shall provide a county-level administrator or director of the county emergency management agency, and technical, administrative, and other personnel; office space; furniture; equipment; supplies; and funds necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(f) The administrator or director of the county emergency management agency shall be subject to chapter 76.

(g) Each county, under the mayor's direction, shall, in order to ensure continuity of government during an emergency period, establish a procedure for the appointment and designation of stand-by officers for the mayor and the county legislative body during an emergency period, who shall serve in the event of the unavailability of the officers for whom they are standing-by.

(h) Each county, under the mayor's direction, shall establish and maintain an emergency operations center, as the place from where emergencies and disasters shall be managed, and staff it appropriately.

(i) Each county, under the mayor's direction, shall coordinate, develop, and implement a comprehensive emergency management plan for the county and submit annual reports to the administrator on the status and updates of the plan. [L 2014, c 111, pt of §2; am L 2019, c 78, §2]