ALPENA — Alpena and Montmorency counties are considering sharing an emergency management director.

One of the main motivators for the proposed move is for both counties to save money on labor costs.

An emergency management director is responsible for county-wide emergency management and disaster preparedness with staff and area partners. The department plans and coordinates with all public safety agencies as well as non-governmental organizations to provide for the safety of every resident, employee, and visitor in Alpena County through regular testing plans, practice drills, and review of emergency policies and procedures.

At the Alpena County Finance meeting on Tuesday, the commissioners voted to begin working with Montmorency County to draft an agreement for the shared use of an emergency management director.

The Montmorency County Board of Commissioners still has to vote to move forward with the consolidation effort.

If a contract between the two counties is reached and the project moves forward, the proposed agreement will be returned to each county board for approval.

Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer said if Montmorency County agrees to pursue sharing an employee, a six-person committee will be created that will advertise the position, conduct interviews, and then make a recommendation for hiring.

Osmer said the committee will include himself, Alpena County board chairman John Kozlowski, Montmorency County board chairwoman Mary Hardies, Montmorency County Controller Aprille Williamson, current Alpena County Emergency Management Director Kim Elkie, and Lt. Mike de Castro of the Michigan State Police’s Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division.

If the county-sharing director is hired, Elkie will take over the full-time role as the Alpena County 911 director. Her director position already provided her oversight of 911.

Osmer said the hope is someone can be hired and in place before April 1.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.