New Carlisle council adopts Clark County hazard mitigation plan to keep federal funding eligibility

The City of New Carlisle on May 19 adopted the Clark County multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan, a countywide five-year document the county emergency management agency says is required for municipalities to remain eligible for federal hazard-mitigation funds after declared disasters.

The plan, presented to the council by Klonitz Pitstick, director of the Clark County Emergency Management Agency, was approved by the council by recorded roll call. Pitstick told the council that local jurisdictions must adopt the county plan to be eligible for mitigation money when it becomes available after major disasters.

‘‘Even though you have action items in this plan, you are not required to complete any of those items at all,’’ Pitstick said, describing the plan’s list of ‘‘shovel-ready’’ projects that jurisdictions may pursue only if funding becomes available. She listed possible project types including flood mitigation measures and backup generators for critical infrastructure.

Pitstick said the plan is updated every five years to meet a federal mandate and that the latest version was shorter because duplicative language and repeated jurisdictional communications were condensed. She said jurisdictions have about a year from federal approval to adopt the plan and that the county needs a threshold of participating municipalities to retain eligibility for funds.

City Manager Hall and several council members thanked Pitstick for summarizing the large plan and for making staff available to answer questions. Council members asked about how many jurisdictions had already adopted the plan; Pitstick said a handful, including the Village of Enon and the City of Springfield, had passed resolutions and that she maintains a list in her office.

The resolution on the council agenda was identified in the meeting as Resolution 2025-05-R (Clark County multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation 5-year plan) and passed by roll-call vote.

Council members and staff said formally adopting the plan is a procedural requirement that preserves the city’s eligibility for mitigation funding tied to declared disasters; it does not obligate the city to spend money on specific projects unless the city chooses to pursue those projects and secures funding.

The council vote came after Pitstick’s presentation and a short question-and-answer exchange about the plan’s scope and the timing of federal funding.

The council recorded the resolution as adopted; the council did not tie any immediate spending commitments to the vote, and staff said specific projects would require separate approvals if the city later sought mitigation funds.