Brighton adopts county hazard-mitigation plan to preserve federal grant eligibility

Brighton — The Brighton Town Council voted to adopt the town’s annex to the county multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, a measure staff said preserves the town’s eligibility for future federal mitigation grants.

Brian Buckeye, presenting the plan update, said the document updates the town’s 2019 mitigation work and runs through 2030. "This plan consists of two major parts," Buckeye said, describing a comprehensive base plan and a roughly 68‑page jurisdiction annex that lists local risks and actionable mitigation items. He said the plan incorporates a THIRA (threat‑hazard identification and risk assessment) and public outreach results collected through flyers, QR codes and community events.

The council discussed funding and cost implications. Buckeye told members the key benefit of adopting the plan is access to federal hazard‑mitigation funding: "By adopting this, this maintains your eligibility for federal hazard mitigation funding," he said. He also noted FEMA processes are in flux but said having an adopted local plan is the doorway to future grants and to aligning local capital improvements with mitigation priorities.

Council moved to adopt Resolution 2025‑R‑10‑1 and approved it by voice vote. No roll‑call tally was given in the meeting record. Staff said the plan will be revisited in 2030 as required and that specific annex recommendations identify possible grant programs to pursue for defined mitigation projects.

Next steps: staff will make the adopted annex publicly available and use it to prioritize short‑ and long‑term mitigation projects and grant applications.