West Union to House County Emergency Management Agency, Gaining $9,600 Annually

West Union's village council passed Resolution No. 2026-6 this week, authorizing the mayor to execute a lease agreement with the Adams County Emergency Management Agency and establishing village-owned space in the county seat as the EMA's operational base.

The resolution, filed in the village's April 2026 official documents, commits the village to providing the EMA with office and operational space while guaranteeing $9,600 in annual lease revenue to the village general fund. The resolution creates the formal municipal authority for the mayor to sign the lease; a specific commencement date had not been published in the village's summary listing as of this report.

The Adams County EMA carries responsibility for countywide emergency planning, disaster response coordination, hazard mitigation planning, and direct communication with state and federal emergency partners. Stationing that agency inside West Union municipal facilities puts it in direct proximity to the county seat's police department, street crews, and utilities staff — the same departments that work alongside EMA during severe weather events, flooding, and infrastructure failures.

The resolution's public summary, however, leaves several material terms unanswered: how long the lease runs, whether renewal options are built in, which party covers utilities and routine maintenance, and who funds any IT or communications upgrades required to configure shared space. Those details, presumably contained in the lease document the mayor is now authorized to sign, will determine the full fiscal picture for both the village treasury and the county agency's operating budget.

With the resolution in place, the village and EMA move toward implementation, including physically relocating staff, configuring the office space, and establishing shared communications access. The $9,600 annual payment provides West Union modest recurring revenue while anchoring Adams County's emergency coordination infrastructure at its administrative center.