The Washington County Board of Supervisors is considering entering into a 28E agreement with the Sheriff’s Office to fill the role of Emergency Management Coordinator. 

Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider presented the agreement to the Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday. Schneider explained the reasoning behind the agreement, “The deputy really wasn’t interested in leaving the Sheriff’s Office, but he was interested in the Emergency Management Coordinator responsibilities; so, we drafted a 28E Agreement, that the Emergency Management Commission has already approved at their last meeting where he would be able to stay on as a Deputy Sheriff at the Sheriff’s Office but serve as the Emergency Management Coordinator. Some of the, I guess, positives on having the position structured that way is the idea that if it does fall under the Sheriff’s Office we can build some redundancy in coverage with figuring out if there are other deputies that would like to get some of the training. So, if the main person happens to be on vacation, we would have other people in the Sheriff’s Office that could assist with those responsibilities. One of the other positives that the group discussed was the oversight, or day-to-day oversight of Emergency Management.”   

Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. was hesitant of the agreement due to the oversight of the position solely being done by the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the vehicle cost and maintenance that the County would have to cover according to the 28E. The issue was tabled until their next meeting, where they will be voting on the resolution for the agreement.  

The Washington County Emergency Management position has been vacant since March.