§ 14-62. Officers and organization

(a) Office of director held by county judge. The office of emergency management director of the county shall be held by the county judge in accordance with state law.

(b) Appointment of coordinator. An emergency management coordinator may be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the director.

(c) Responsibilities of director generally. The director shall be responsible for a program of comprehensive emergency management within the county and for carrying out the duties and responsibilities set forth in this article. He may delegate authority for execution of these duties to the coordinator, but ultimate responsibility for such execution shall remain with the director.

(d) Composition of emergency management organization. The operational emergency management organization of the county shall consist of the officers and employees of the county so designated by the director in the emergency management plan, as well as organized volunteer groups. The functions and duties of this organization shall be distributed among such officers and employees in accordance with the terms of the emergency management plan.

(e) Duties and responsibilities of director. The duties and responsibilities of the emergency management director shall include the following:

(1) Conduct an ongoing survey of actual or potential hazards which threaten life and property within the county and an ongoing program of identifying and requiring or recommending the implementation of measures which would tend to prevent the occurrence or reduce the impact of such hazards if a disaster did occur.

(2) Supervision of the development and approval of an emergency management plan for the county, and shall recommend for adoption by the commissioners court all mutual aid arrangements deemed necessary for the implementation of such plan.

(3) Authority to declare a local state of disaster. The declaration may not be continued or renewed for a period in excess of seven days except by or with the consent of the commissioners court. Any order or proclamation declaring, continuing or terminating a local state of disaster shall be given prompt and general publicity and shall be filed promptly with the county clerk.

(4) Issuance of necessary proclamations, regulations or directives which are necessary for carrying out the purposes of this article. Such proclamations, regulations or directives shall be disseminated promptly by means calculated to bring its contents to the attention of the general public and, unless circumstances attendant on the disaster prevent or impede, promptly filed with the county clerk.

(5) Direction and control of the operations of the county emergency management organization as well as the training of emergency management personnel.

(6) Determination of all questions of authority and responsibility that may arise within the emergency management organization of the county.

(7) Maintenance of liaison with other municipal, county, district, state, regional or federal emergency management organizations.

(8) Marshaling of all necessary personnel, equipment or supplies from any department of the county to aid in the carrying out of the provisions of the emergency management plan.

(9) Supervision of the drafting and execution of mutual aid agreements, in cooperation with the representatives of the state and of other local political subdivision of the state and the drafting and execution, if deemed desirable, of an agreement with the cities located in the county for the county-wide coordination of emergency management efforts.

(10) Supervision of, and final authorization for, the procurement of all necessary supplies and equipment, including acceptance of private contributions which may be offered for the purpose of improving emergency management within the county.

(11) Authorizing of agreements, after approval by the county attorney, for use of private property for public shelter and other purposes.

(12) Survey of the availability of existing personnel, equipment, supplies and services which could be used during a disaster, as provided for in this section.

(13) Other requirements as specified in Texas Disaster Act 1975, V.T.C.A., Government Code § 418.001 et seq.

(Ord. No. 88-358, §§ 1, 2, 2-29-1988; Ord. No. 2006-392, 2-28-2006)