Woodruff board to update Bear River pre‑disaster mitigation plan; approves minutes and bills, schedules closed session

Scott Savy, a member of the Woodruff Town Board, opened the meeting by saying the board would discuss its mitigation plan and circulated an email from the Bear River Region with a detailed spreadsheet the board must complete.

The board focused the meeting on updating the Bear River Region (BRAG) pre‑disaster mitigation worksheet that lists hazards and asks communities to state current and future actions, NFIP compliance, priority time frames, potential funding sources, responsible entities and estimated costs. "We're gonna start out discussing our mitigation plan," Savy said at the meeting.

Why it matters: Completing the BRAG worksheet supports eligibility for state and federal hazard‑mitigation funding and documents steps the town would take to protect residents and property from identified risks. Board members repeatedly noted the worksheet is detailed and that estimated costs can be left as "TBD" per BRAG guidance.

Most important decisions and discussion points

- Scope and assignment: Board members agreed to use the 2020 mitigation entries as a starting point and to divide the spreadsheet so each member completes sections for specific hazards. One board member said the board "has to have it done by the end of the month," and members discussed copying relevant language from prior filings to speed completion.

- Hazards considered: The group reviewed the BRAG hazard list and identified a smaller set they believe is most relevant to Woodruff: dam failure, flooding, problem soils/rock, and wildfire. Members also proposed adding earthquake, drought, hazardous materials (HAZMAT), severe weather and erosion to Woodruff's worksheet. Board members debated whether low‑likelihood items such as avalanche or seiche apply locally and agreed to omit hazards that do not affect the community.

- Costs and timelines: The BRAG instructions recommend historical cost review and expert consultation; the board agreed it lacks time to do detailed cost estimates and will mark most estimated costs as "TBD" while breaking proposed strategies into phases if needed.

- Coordination and information sources: Members noted BRAG (Bear River Association of Governments) maintains the regional worksheet and has an office in Logan. The board asked staff to check the town's 2020 entries and to confirm with the local fire department what HAZMAT capabilities exist before finalizing that hazard entry.

Other business and formal actions

- Minutes: A motion to approve the December minutes was made, seconded and carried by voice vote.

- Bills: A motion to approve the bills was made, seconded and carried by voice vote.

- Donation: Members briefly discussed how to handle a check from a donor (identified in the meeting as "Stacy") for the town's Christmas donation; members said the funds had been delivered to the recipient but did not take a separate formal allocation vote in open session.

- Closed session: The board voted to enter a closed session to discuss legal matters, described in open session as an item possibly involving litigation (the transcript referenced a "Herrera" matter). Members did not discuss legal details during the public portion of the meeting.

What comes next

Board members left the meeting with action items to: copy and paste applicable entries from the town's 2020 worksheet into the BRAG spreadsheet, add the additional hazards the board identified (earthquake, drought, HAZMAT, severe weather, erosion) where appropriate, leave cost estimates as TBD where needed, and confirm HAZMAT capabilities with the fire department. The board will submit the completed BRAG worksheet so the town remains eligible for mitigation funds and to maintain NFIP‑related documentation.

Ending: The board approved routine business, set a closed session on legal matters, and assigned members to complete and return the BRAG pre‑disaster mitigation spreadsheet for Woodruff.