This story was updated Feb. 18 to reflect the number of empty positions officially removed from the County. Darren Hess, director of Montgomery County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, is requesting the creation of a new deputy director position intended to help administrate the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery fund grant money that has been approved for home buyouts. The motion was at first approved at Montgomery County Commissioners Court Jan. 29 with Commissioner James Noack voting against it. However, after a two-hour executive session about other items, Noack brought the deputy director position back up for discussion. Ultimately, the commissioners decided in a 3-1 vote to put table to conversation until the next meeting. Hess said the position could be funded from the CDBG-DR fund for two to three years with a salary of $105,010, after which the salary cost would fall to the county. “But those [funds] are for buyouts,” Noack said. “I’m certainly not going to take $137,601 [including benefits] away from a homeowner to pay for a new position. This absolutely does not have my support.” Hess said during the budget process last year the court found favor with adding the position, but could not find funding. “Currently in our department we have no one second in command, no clear line of succession for my position,” Hess said. “There is no one for that second shift to provide the level of leadership needed. The population for Montgomery County is continuing to grow, the population density is continuing to tighten, and therefore the disasters we see are larger and more complex. I need support for the day-to-day operations … programs coming into our department are in excess of $30 million.” Hess initially brought the idea of submitting for an Emergency Management Performance Grant in order to fund the position, but ultimately did not ask to apply for it because the grant required at least a 50 percent match from the county, which Hess said he felt was too great an exposure for the county after researching the program. Noack said funding the position from grant money could pose a risk of supplanting grant money if the person hired ends up with more responsibilities than specifically outlined in the grant. “[Not having this position] is a level of exposure to us,” said Judge Mark Keough. “If something happens to [Hess], what are we going to do? We have the possibility ... for us to not only do buyouts, help people in the community, have a second-in-command—and we won’t get caught if you go out and get run over by the Coast Guard.” The funding of other open staff positions was a point of contention at the Jan. 29 meeting, as well. “We have all kinds of overpaid positions over here nobody seems to be worried about,” Keough said. “The fact of the matter is, the pay is important.” During another agenda item analyzing vacancies, commissioners discussed removing funding for all county staff positions that have been left open for more than 90 days. Staff said the longest opening is 289 days. “Positions that have been open for 90 days need to be cut. I’ve seen departments come use that money for raises in the middle of the year,” Noack said. “If you can’t hire in 248 days, you don’t need the positions. By waiting, we are continuing to perpetuate the same actions.” Noack said he wanted to cut the positions then and there on Jan. 29, but Keough wanted to give departments one last chance to hire. “I want to wait until the next [court] to give [a chance to] any department heads considering hiring or who have somebody in the wings ready to hire, and don’t cut them off here today,” Keough said. “We want to bring people into the loop and tighten things up as we go, but we need to give them some warning. To make this decision right now would be premature.” The movement to get rid of long-empty positions came back for a vote at the next County Commissioners Court Feb. 12, resulting unanimously in the closure of six long-empty empty positions worth a total of $396,000 annually. The AV systems support position, office supervisor for animal control position and the deputy treasurer position were filled, according to Amanda Carter, Montgomery County budget officer.