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Ross council adopts annex into county hazard mitigation plan to increase access to FEMA mitigation funding
Summary
The Ross Town Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2432 to add the town annex to the 2023 Marin County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, a step staff and county officials said will improve access to mitigation grants and formalize monitoring and project coordination.
The Ross Town Council on a unanimous vote approved Resolution 2432 to include the town’s annex in the 2023 Marin County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Town staff said the annex consolidates hazard and climate data and helps guide mitigation priorities. Public works staff framed the plan as a resource for integrating hazard information into general-plan revisions, regulatory work and the town’s FEMA Community Rating System participation. "Tonight, staff is recommending that the town council adopt Resolution number 2432, approving the Town of Ross Annex for inclusion into the 2023 multi-jurisdictional local hazard mitigation plan," staff told the council.
Steven Torrance, director of emergency management for Marin County, told council members that FEMA and Cal OES recently tightened plan requirements to include climate-change and equity considerations. He said the county has used a multi-jurisdictional approach to assemble projects that are more competitive for federal mitigation funding and described the county role as a fiscal and coordinating partner. "This is not one of those documents you put on the shelf," Torrance said, calling the plan a "living document" that county and local partners will revisit as new data arrive.
Council members asked about specific hazards flagged in the annex. Staff explained the steering committee rated 11 hazards and assigned flooding the highest risk on the town’s list, followed by wildfire; staff and several council members debated whether wildfire’s climate-change contribution should be rated "high" rather than "medium," and staff said they would consider adjusting that weighting.
Council also asked about dam safety and monitoring; staff said the State Division of Dam Safety inspects dams annually, that the dam in question is owned by Marin Municipal Water District, and that monitoring wells and past spillway changes were among measures used to track and reduce risk.
The council approved the resolution by roll call (five ayes). Staff said the action allows Ross to be formally included in the countywide plan and better positioned to apply for mitigation grants and to coordinate projects through quarterly working groups and an annual mitigation summit. The town manager and public works director said staff will bring implementation priorities and potential ordinance or plan changes back to council for review.
The council moved on to other business after the vote.
