Vicksburg and Warren County remain without an &#8220effective” emergency management plan, Mayor Laurence Leyens told 911 commissioners Wednesday, even though it’s been almost two years since Hurricane Katrina.

&#8220Enough is enough,” he said. &#8220We have tremendous resources offered to this county because of Katrina. Two years is enough time to have established these agreements … for an effective plan of action. This has got to become a priority.”

Warren County Emergency Management Agency Director Gwen Coleman countered that a &#8220basic plan” for emergency response will be submitted to the Warren County Board of Supervisors Monday.

&#8220I was just appointed in October,” Coleman said. &#8220This is bigger than you know. We’re talking three to four years of back work involving two or three people.”

Coleman was named director of the EMA in November. An employee in the agency and in its permitting office for 27 years, Coleman, 49, had served as interim director of the hazard mitigation and preparedness office since Sept. 20.

Such a plan would define lines of authority and allocate responsibilities and define resources in a large-scale emergency. In August and September 2005, for example, there was a scramble to find a reliable fuel source for emergency vehicles. One station, with electricity for pumps, was eventually identified to serve police cars, fire trucks and ambulances exclusively.

Coleman is the EMA’s longest-tenured employee, having served as a planner in the agency when it was known as Vicksburg-Warren County Civil Defense. She has also served on the E-911 Commission since her interim appointment in September, filling a seat occupied by the county emergency management director reserved by a 1998 city-county agreement.

Leyens said his condemnation of the EMA’s handling of an emergency management plan was not an attack on Coleman.

&#8220I believe you are working your tail off,” he said. &#8220I don’t blame you personally for this. But if a tornado hits us this afternoon, I’m not handing you my authority. And I want to hand you my authority.”

The two argued for about 30 minutes before Leyens convinced the commission to unanimously approve a resolution asking the county to &#8220make it a priority to get a plan for natural disasters immediately.”

As EMA director, Coleman answers to the board of supervisors. She serves in one of seven seats on the commission that was created to hire a director and oversee operations of the city-county E-911 Dispatch Center authorized by voters in 1989. Center staffing and operations are paid for through tolls on wired and cell phone bills and supplements from city and county general funds.

The other seats are held by District 1 Supervisor David McDonald, Warren County Fire Coordinator Kelly Worthy, Vicksburg Police Chief Tommy Moffett, Leyens, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace and Vicksburg Fire Chief Keith Rogers.

Also Wednesday, Leyens told commissioners he was tired of hearing complaints about rifts between dispatchers and police officers and that a &#8220formal communication program” should be created to solve conflicts.

&#8220I continue to hear issues related to the radio traffic,” he said. &#8220I don’t want to hear (Pace) and (Moffett) complaining about dispatch. I want a simple way for officers to communicate with the dispatch center.”

Moffett and 911 Dispatch Center Deputy Director Michael Gaul acknowledged problems exist between dispatchers and officers, and that both sides work together to resolve differences.

&#8220We pull (911) tapes and deal with it accordingly,” Moffett said.

But it shouldn’t come to that, the mayor said, and asked commissioners to consider a more &#8220friendly” way to improve working relationships.

&#8220I’m looking for a real minor process,” Leyens said. Communication between dispatchers and officers &#8220seems adversarial. We’re on the same team. But I’m a lay person listening to the radio, and I don’t like what I hear.”