BIGGS, CA (MPG) - The Biggs City Council on Jan. 13 backed an agreement with Butte County that would bring the city into a shared emergency management software system. The meeting marked the council's first session of 2026 with Mayor James "Bo" Sheppard presiding.

The agreement outlines Biggs’ participation in Veoci, a cloud-based Emergency Operations Center (EOC) platform used by the Butte County Office of Emergency Management and other local jurisdictions.

Interim City Administrator Rodney Harr told the council the system would allow Biggs to coordinate more effectively during emergencies, noting that “any emergency situation that would otherwise involve the other city or the county has this platform that they can rely upon for the management of those particular events.”

Harr said the platform functions as a virtual Emergency Operations Center, allowing staff to participate remotely during activations.

“Instead of necessarily having a room to meet in, it turns into what’s referred to as a virtual EOC,” Harr said. “Participants can actually be sitting at home and still be part of the process.”

Butte County selected Veoci in 2024 after reviewing several platforms and has since built customized modules for each city. The county reserved one mid-tier license for Biggs’ designated administrator, five infrequent-use licenses for activation-only personnel and more than 90,000 non-user form entries for staff who may need to submit Incident command system (ICS) forms without being full system users.

The city’s cost to participate totals about $2,300 over three years. Harr described the annual amounts as “fairly low” and said the expense could be covered through the Emergency Management budget or the General Fund.

Council members asked about the financial authority required during major incidents. Harr said large-scale emergencies can involve significant expenditures, but the likelihood of a major disaster impacting Biggs is low. He added that most costs are reimbursable through state or federal disaster declarations.

Council members also discussed training requirements. Harr said the county and Veoci will provide instruction and tabletop exercises so users can practice responding to simulated incidents.

The council voted unanimously to approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU).