(A) The county’s Emergency Management Advisory Council is established by I.C. 10-14-3-17(c) and under this statute consists of the following individuals or their designee:
(1) The President of the Board of County Commissioners;
(2) The President of County Council;
(3) Each Mayor from each municipality in the county;
(4) One individual representing each of the legislative bodies of the towns in the county;
(5) The County Sheriff or designee of a rank no lower than Sergeant;
(6) The Director of the 911 Communications Board; and
(7) The Board of County Commissioners may also appoint for two-year terms a maximum of three persons who represent private and public agencies or organizations which can be of assistance to emergency management as the organizing group considers appropriate, or as may be added later by the county’s Emergency Management Advisory Council.
(B) The powers and duties of the county’s Emergency Management Advisory Council are established by I.C. 10-14-3-17(d) and under this statute consist of the following:
(1) The Advisory Council shall elect a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary from its membership. The elected officers shall be elected at the first regular meeting of the Advisory Council in a calendar year and shall serve in such capacity until members of the Advisory Council have been elected to replace them. A vacancy in any elected office shall be filled by vote of the Advisory Council at any regular or special meeting. Their term of office shall end at the end of the meeting where their successors have been elected.
(2) The Advisory Council shall meet at least once biannually; the frequency, time and place being determined by Council. Meetings shall comply with the state’s Open Door Law (I.C. 5-14-1.5 et seq.).
(3) The Advisory Council shall exercise general supervision and control over the county’s emergency management and disaster program.
(4) The Advisory Council shall select, or cause to be selected, with the approval of the Board of County Commissioners, a county’s Emergency Management Director. Qualifications for the Director will be determined by the Advisory Council with input from the Board of County Commissioners and the Director of the Emergency Response and Recovery Division of the IDHS.
(5) The statute establishing the powers and duties of the Advisory Council does not describe the procedure to be used to terminate a county’s Emergency Management Director. However, the statute does require the Advisory Council to select the Director and obtain approval from the Board of County Commissioners for this selection before a Director can be appointed. Therefore, the Advisory Council may make a determination to terminate a Director, but this determination is subject to the approval of the Board of County Commissioners before the termination is final. Accordingly, the Director shall serve at the pleasure of the Advisory Council as well as the County Commissioners, and his or her employment shall be at-will.
(Ord. 2017-3, passed 6-20-2017)