15-03-2025
Federal funding freeze trickles down to local EMA operations
EFFINGHAM — The effects of the Trump administration's federal funding freeze have trickled down to local emergency management operations and left future funding uncertain.
Effingham County Board Chairman Josh Douthit told the Tax and Finance Committee Thursday that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency has paused funding for federal pass-through grants. According to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, over $200 million in federal grants to IEMA have been frozen that support disaster preparedness and recovery programs.
As a result, the grants the county receives – Hazardous Materials Emergency Planner and Emergency Management Performance Grant — were paused, according to Douthit. The HMEP grant helps fund the position of a planner in the county. It is a new three-year grant that started in October 2022 and expires at the end of September. The grant, which amounts to $75,000 over three years, covers 80% of the costs of a planner, while the county pays for 20%.
As the county's HMEP, Jim Niemann's duties are to develop, improve, and carry out emergency plans, as well as prevention and education, involving hazardous materials transportation on rails and roadways. The grant is funded by fees collected from shippers and carriers of hazardous materials, and the funds are administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The money is sent to IEMA, which then distributes it.
The EMPG provides federal funds to states to assist local governments in preparing for all hazards. The grant funds 50% of the cost of the EMS coordinator position, including salary, office supplies and vehicle usage, and helps offset the cost of the state-mandated position.
The county submitted in January its reimbursement request for the HMEP grant for Oct. 1-Dec. 31 of last year and is waiting for that check. If the county doesn't receive the money, it would have a deficit of $20,000. The county also has not received EMPG funding yet, which amounts to $17,981.
In the worst-case scenario, Douthit said the county will have $37,981 in lost revenue if the remaining grant monies for the fiscal year don't come through. However, he noted Effingham County Treasurer Deborah Ruholl is confident the county can absorb the loss this fiscal year.
'I'm in favor of continuing services as is, in hopes the federal administration will realize that our EMA stuff is important and will re-initiate those grants and will pay those out,' said Douthit. 'We're getting ready to go into storm season here, so if we have some sort of disaster, we'll need them as much as we can. So, it kind of stinks that there's some restructuring at the federal level, and it has trickled down, and we are seeing those effects.'
Committee Chairman Norbert Soltwedel stressed that Niemann and EMA Coordinator Pamela Jacobs will continue to get paid because that money is budgeted.
'What's at stake here is whether the federal government gives us money to help pay those bills we've obligated ourselves to pay. I would agree with Josh. We need to continue with the good faith that it will be funded,' he said.
If the HMEP grant is cut completely, Douthit said they can reevaluate at the end of the year what they want to do.
'I don't want to lose his expertise out there and his knowledge,' he said, referring to Niemann.
'What he's doing is very important to the rest of the county,' added Soltwedel. 'As Pam explained to me, if an entity in the county wants to get money and get a grant, they have to have this hazardous materials evaluation that Jim is working on. Without that, they can't get the grant.'
The city of Effingham also receives federal pass-through funds through IEMA.
The city received the funds anticipated for this year, $15,982. Like the county, city officials are unsure what to expect going forward. Still, the city is budgeting about the same amount from IEMA for the next fiscal year.
'If the funds do not come through for the city next fiscal year, we will consult with the council and make decisions as to how to move forward,' said City Administrator Steve Miller, who added the city typically budgets contingency funds in the event of such unknowns.
However, he said the short-term fix will then need to be further evaluated to sustain long-term operations.
'The city's EMA services are a very important part of our operations and our ability to serve our community,' he said.
