AUGUSTA — Kennebec County officials are searching for a new county Emergency Management Agency director following the April resignation of Art True.

Art True has stepped down as the director of Kennebec County’s Emergency Management Agency. Jessica Lowell/Kennebec Journal file

In a brief note to Kennebec County Administrator Scott Ferguson, True wrote he was resigning for the betterment of the department and the county, and for personal reasons.

Ferguson said a search is underway to fill the position, and he has received a number of applications from qualified candidates. Interviews are being conducted this week, he said.

“I was surprised at the number of candidates we received,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said he could not yet say what the salary would be, and none of the applicants has listed a salary requirement.

The Emergency Management Agency is responsible for compiling, revising and updating the county’s all-hazard emergency response plan. It helps cities and towns with local disaster planning and, if needed, damage recovery efforts. It also has a role in homeland security preparedness, which includes securing grant funding to pay for training and acquire equipment for local emergency response agencies.

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True was appointed agency director in June 2022 to succeed Sean Goodwin, who retired. True had served previously as deputy director and worked for more than a decade in various capacities in county emergency management.

Until a full-time director is hired, Jason Decker, the agency’s deputy director, will serve as interim director. He has said he is not interested in the director’s job.

During his time in the office, True worked on a number of initiatives. Among them were working with Kennebec Valley Community College to initiate a free paramedic training program, offering basic and advanced classes using American Rescue Plan Act and workforce development funds. The agency also launched regular meetings with local emergency managers and officials to address emergency management and other concerns common across the county.

“One of the things we’ll be asking is how the candidates envision picking up what’s going on at EMA,” Ferguson said.

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