(A) The Board of Commissioners shall be responsible for the appointment of the Director. The appointment shall be made after the candidates for Director have been interviewed by the County Emergency Management Advisory Council and the County Emergency Management Advisory Council has made its recommendations to the Board of Commissioners.
(B) Qualifications for the Director will be determined by the Board of Commissioners with input from the Advisory Council, provided that pursuant to state law, the Director may hold no other local state, or federal office. The appointment of the Director shall be on an annual basis unless the Commissioners determine the Director to be incapable to fulfill his responsibilities, which shall include dereliction of duties (including failure to provide the State Emergency Management Director required annual reports and documentation), malfeasance in office, incompetence, insubordination or deliberate disregard of the directives of superior county or state authorities, or physical or mental incapacity to perform his duties. In the event the Board of Commissioners fail to make its annual appointment, the then serving Director shall remain until such annual appointment is made.
(C) The Director, subject to the direction and control of the Advisory Council and/or County Commissioners, shall be executive head of the Department of Emergency Management and shall have responsibility for the organization, administration, and operation of the emergency management organization, including the following specific powers and duties:
(1) The Director shall be responsible for public relations, information, and education regarding all phases of emergency management;
(2) The Director shall be responsible for the development of a county emergency operating plan, and upon adoption shall be responsible for such implementation, and revision of the plan as to maintain it on a current state of readiness at all times. This plan shall include all major cities within the county;
(3) The Director shall coordinate, within the county, all activities for emergency management and shall maintain liaison and coordinate with all other affected agencies, public and private;
(4) The Director shall coordinate the recruitment and training for volunteer personnel and agencies to augment the personnel and facilities of the county for emergency management purposes;
(5) The Director may, with prior approval of the Advisory Council Chairman, seek, negotiate, and enter into (with the approval of the Advisory Council and then the approval or ratification of the Commissioners and to the extent consistent with the State Emergency Operations Plan and program) mutual-aid arrangements with other public and private agencies for emergency management purposes, and take all steps in accordance with such arrangements to comply with or take advantage thereof in the event of an actual emergency affecting the parties;
(6) The Director may, with the approval of the Advisory Council and then the approval of the Commissioners, when such offer has been approved by the Governor, accept any offer of the federal government to provide for the use of the county any services, equipment, supplies, materials, or funds for emergency management purposes by way of gift, grant or loan.
(7) The Director, with the approval of the Advisory Council and then the approval of the Commissioners, may seek and accept from any person, firm or corporation, any gratuitous offers to provide services, equipment, supplies, materials, funds, or licenses, or privileges to use real estate or other premises, to the county for emergency management purposes.
(8) The Director may issue proper insignia and papers to emergency management workers and other people directly concerned with emergency management.
(D) The Director, in addition to the powers and duties expressly provided above, shall be construed to have all powers and duties of a local emergency management director as provided under state law. In particular, but not any limitation, the Director, through the Department of Emergency Management, may perform or cause to be performed with respect to the county, any function parallel or analogous to those performed on a statewide basis by the Indiana Department of Emergency Management under state law.
(Ord. 94-02-CM, passed 1-17-94)