Sweet Home adopts Linn County multi‑jurisdictional natural hazards mitigation plan

The Sweet Home City Council voted to adopt the 2025 Linn County multi‑jurisdictional natural hazards mitigation plan, approving Resolution No. 21 (2025) to keep the city aligned with regional partners and maintain eligibility for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mitigation funding.

City Manager Ogden told the council the plan serves as the community’s playbook for reducing risk from floods, wildfires, winter storms, earthquakes and extreme heat, and noted federal requirements for an approved local mitigation plan to qualify for FEMA disaster funding. “Federal law requires that every city keep an approved plan in place, if we want to be eligible for FEMA disaster funding,” Ogden said.

Ogden described Sweet Home’s recent participation in a county-led update with 10 other local governments; staff said joining the regional update avoided the expense of a standalone city update because the state covered the usual local match. Councilors voted 6–0, with one absence, to approve the resolution.

Staff said adoption will keep Sweet Home’s plan current and aligned with county partners, preserving access to pre-disaster resilience grants and post-disaster recovery assistance. The staff recommendation was to approve the regional plan; no amendment or additional funding request was made during the meeting.

Councilors thanked staff for the work on the consolidation and noted the plan’s thoroughness. No further formal actions were taken at the meeting related to the plan’s implementation schedule or specific mitigation projects.