Butte-Silver Bow reviews Western Montana Hazard Mitigation Plan annex; FEMA completed review, local adoption planned

Butte-Silver Bow Emergency Management Director Lisa Carey presented the Western Montana Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan and the Butte-Silver Bow annex to the Council of Commissioners Committee of the Whole on April 23, outlining the county-specific risk assessment, proposed goals and strategies and next steps for local adoption.

Carey said the state divided the plan into three regions and Butte-Silver Bow participates in the Western annex; the Western regional plan is about 456 pages with a 54-page Butte-Silver Bow annex. Carey said FEMA completed its review on April 18 and approved the plan, and the county must adopt the document to remain eligible for federal mitigation grants such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.

The regional planning approach gained consistency and administrative efficiency, Carey said. The plan compiles hazard identification, GIS hazard layers, population and parcel data, and an inventory of critical facilities. Carey described hazardous materials incidents, wildfire exposure and other hazards; the plan identifies three RMP (risk management plan) facilities in Butte-Silver Bow and noted hazardous materials risk near major transport routes and rail lines.

The county contributed heavily to public participation: Carey said Butte-Silver Bow accounted for 49% of the public survey responses for the Western region. The county planning team also recommended county-specific objectives, including fuel reduction coordination with the U.S. Forest Service to protect the Basin Creek watershed.

Carey described regional goals adopted for participating counties (reduce impacts to people/property; protect lifelines and infrastructure; expand public outreach; address equity and socially vulnerable populations; incorporate climate change impacts). She said specific actions in the annex include outreach and training, fuel-reduction projects, coordination with rail and hazardous-materials stakeholders, sheltering and backup generator strategies, and improvements to warning and notification systems.

Commissioners asked whether adoption requires a local public hearing; staff and the county attorney advised checking procedural rules before placing a final adoption resolution. Carey said the plan’s public participation was already completed as part of the regional process and that adoption by the council would make FEMA processes faster.

Commissioner Thatcher moved to place Communication 2025-207 (hazard mitigation plan presentation) on file; the motion passed 12–0. Carey will forward a resolution through the clerk to present the plan for formal adoption at a future meeting.