Crosby Township adopts Hamilton County 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan to preserve federal disaster funding eligibility

Ryan McKeown, assistant director of Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, told Crosby Township trustees the county's 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan compiles hazard analyses and projects countywide and is a federal requirement for communities seeking FEMA disaster funds. "FEMA requires every community to have adopted a mitigation plan in order to be eligible for federal disaster funds," McKeown said.

McKeown said the full county plan runs roughly 900 pages while Crosby Township's local section spans about three pages listing projects the township could pursue should funding become available. He said the county wrote a single plan covering all 48 participating jurisdictions; it was approved by FEMA and adopted by the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners before being offered to jurisdictions for local adoption.

A trustee moved to adopt the plan and a second was recorded; roll-call votes were "Yes" from Mister Niehaus, Mister Dole and Mister Heiss and the motion carried. After the vote McKeown thanked the trustees.

McKeown also described a related state program that helps residents build safe rooms. He said the state will reimburse up to 75% of costs for a FEMA-standard safe room on private property, up to $4,875, but applicants must be awarded the grant before construction begins and must document the project to receive reimbursement.

The adoption does not itself allocate funds for projects; McKeown said passing the resolution signals that Crosby Township intends to consider township projects if federal or state mitigation grants are available. The next procedural step for the township is administrative: filing the adopted resolution so residents will be eligible for federal disaster assistance tied to the plan.