Elkhart council adopts county multi-hazard mitigation plan to preserve FEMA funding
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Summary
The Elkhart Common Council adopted a county-wide five-year multi-hazard mitigation plan to maintain eligibility for FEMA disaster funds; the plan was presented by the fire department and passed by roll-call vote after brief council questioning.
Elkhart Common Council voted to adopt the county multi-hazard mitigation plan, a five-year document the city must adopt to remain eligible for some FEMA grants and disaster funding.
Sam Coursey, identified in the transcript as the assistant fire chief, told the council, “It's a 5-year plan, and this will be the second time that we adopt it so that we can get funding from FEMA,” and described the packet as roughly 80–85 pages covering hazards including fire, flood, storms and cooperative countywide actions. Coursey said the plan reflects county-level inputs such as dam reviews and other assessments.
Council members asked for specifics about changes since the previous plan, pointing to rail-transported hazardous materials, toll-road exposures, and recent extreme-weather events. Council members pressed for concrete mitigation measures, including warming centers and facility risk assessments. Coursey and staff said regular training (hazmat, public works) and interagency critique exercises are part of ongoing mitigation; they characterized most updates from the previous plan as wording or minor changes rather than wholesale rewrites.
No members of the public testified during the mitigation-plan hearing. The council conducted a roll-call vote and the resolution to adopt the county multi-hazard mitigation plan was recorded in the affirmative by the members present, after which the presiding officer closed the matter.
The adoption preserves the city’s pathway to FEMA assistance when qualifying disasters occur; the council did not direct additional specific mitigation programs during the vote. The city will proceed under the county plan for future grant and preparedness requirements.