FEMA BRIC funding cut leaves county without grant to update Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan

LaSalle County planning staff told committee members the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program — which the county had expected to use to fund an update to its Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan — has ended and that no alternative funding source has been identified.

Brian said the county had applied for a grant under BRIC to help pay for a plan update — a project he estimated in the $30,000 range based on prior updates — and that the program change means the county currently lacks funding for the update. "I would not expect that to be funded," Brian said, referring to the BRIC funding cut. "We are without a funding source to update the plan."

Background and uses: the Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan had been used to qualify the county and municipalities for resiliency funding in past projects (the planner cited examples such as flood-related work in Ottawa and Peru). Historically, regional planning partner NCICG prepared the county plan under contract, and the plan update cost had previously been covered in part by grant funds with communities paying a share.

Why it matters: without an updated mitigation plan, the county could be less competitive for certain resilience grants that require an up-to-date plan as a precondition for funding.

Next steps: staff said they will seek additional information from NCICG and consult with emergency management and other partners to determine whether the plan update is needed immediately and whether alternative funding sources exist; staff expects to report back at a future meeting.