Administrative Regulation 10.01

It is the policy of the Board of County Commissioners to establish guidelines in the event of an emergency for County Administration to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of Citrus County citizens, employees, public facilities, resources, and programs. The ability to exercise this administrative authority is available to the County Administrator or their designee upon declaration of emergency and does not require formal Board action. This authority remains in effect until the emergency is deemed over or the Administrator deems it appropriate to return to normal operations.

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for emergency authority to the County Administrator or their designee to open, close, or modify the hours of operation or use of any County facility in the event a natural disaster or manmade disaster threatens or strikes Citrus County. An emergency is defined as any significant occurrence whether accidental, natural, or caused by man, which results in substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage or loss of property.

PROCEDURE:

In the event a natural disaster or man-made disaster threatens or strikes Citrus County and upon Declaration of Emergency by the Board Chairperson, the County Administrator or in their absence, the appointed Acting Administrator may issue a  written directive modifying building or resource allocation. This document will be released to the public as soon as practical. Copies shall also be provided to all constitutional officers and the managers of both cities. Formal notification shall also be provided to all senior staff, and they shall notify their respective staff by the best available means (phone, e-mail, written, etc.) 

Upon issuance of the Declaration of Emergency, the following authority is available to the County Administrator or their designee: 

•  Modification of work hours for any or all employees under the authority of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) 
• Reassignment of duty station for any or all employees under the authority of the BOCC
• Reassignment or reprioritization of duties for any employees under the authority of the BOCC
• Reassignment of supervisor(s) 
• Reassignment of chain of command 
• Temporary reassignment to non-County personnel or programs to assist in emergency management operations or recovery effort. 

Any of the above actions shall be reasonable and supportive of emergency operation or recovery efforts. At no time shall an employee be assigned a duty for which they are not legally authorized to conduct, nor shall an employee be assigned to use equipment or resources that are outside their expertise. Employees that refuse a modification or reassignment shall be subject to disciplinary action as provided in the County’s Personnel Manual.

 

During the emergency the Administrator shall generate interim reports when possible to keep the Board and public aware of changes in operations and programs.

All of the above actions shall be documented in writing and, upon conclusion of the emergency, the Administrator shall issue an After Action Report to the Board within a reasonable time frame.