Issaquah committee backs hazard‑mitigation annex, urges swift action on earthquake and wildfire planning

Issaquah’s Services, Safety & Parks Committee on Feb. 24 recommended the city adopt an annex to the King County Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan and urged the administration to accelerate work on earthquake and wildfire mitigation strategies.

Emergency Manager Jared Snyder asked the committee to endorse the annex so Issaquah remains eligible for FEMA mitigation funding and other federal grant rounds. "Every dollar invested in mitigation saves $6 in future disaster costs," Snyder told the committee, citing FEMA findings and using that return‑on‑investment to frame the annex as a path to protect the general fund and leverage external grants.

The annex is designed as a five‑year, risk‑reduction work plan that would become part of King County’s regional document. Snyder said hazards identified in the annex include earthquakes, severe weather, landslides, wildfire, flood and human‑caused incidents (hazardous‑material releases, pandemics, cyber incidents and dam failures). Staff rankings placed wildfire and earthquake as Issaquah’s highest risks.

Committee members pressed for the annex to be more actionable. Deputy Council President Martz, who repeatedly urged quick follow‑up, said the city must "get going on these two risks" and asked staff to begin scoping studies and timelines for wildfire and earthquake projects. "I want a wildfire and earthquake plan in place as soon as is reasonable," Martz said.

Council Member Walsh summarized committee direction: the committee supports bringing the annex to full council and is comfortable placing it on consent unless the administration requests regular business. Snyder said staff aim to bring the annex to full council in March, then submit it to FEMA for approval so the city can pursue mitigation grants.

Members asked staff to add clearer cost guidance and implementation steps. Council members requested rough cost tiers or a commitment to provide cost estimates shortly after adoption, year‑by‑year performance metrics with baselines and reporting cadence, and clearer prioritization (high/medium/low) for mitigation pages. Snyder told the committee staff can add a simple cost‑tier symbology and will incorporate the strategies into the CIP process when appropriate.

The committee also flagged gaps in outreach and equity: members asked for documentation of how many of the plan’s engagement touchpoints were Issaquah residents and whether outreach included renters, non‑English speakers and residents in flood or wildland‑urban interface zones. Snyder agreed this is an area for growth and said staff will pursue more targeted community engagement when implementation begins.

Snyder highlighted recent local examples of mitigation work: two flood‑buyout houses converted to green space with a sandbag station for the East Fork floodplain; a state‑funded solar and battery resilience project at a community facility; and Confluence Park, which provided flood storage during the December storm. He also cited initial statewide public‑infrastructure damage estimates after the December storm of about $181,000,000 and noted that, following a presidentially declared disaster, roughly 15% of that damage can be available to impacted jurisdictions (about $27,000,000 on the cited estimate) for mitigation and recovery grant programs.

On the broader emergency management program, Snyder said the city will update its Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan this year, expand resilience hubs, grow CERT offerings (staff reported nearly 400 volunteers), improve EOC subject‑matter capacity and increase grant‑writing support to pursue competitive federal funding rounds.

There were no in‑person or online public commenters at the meeting. The committee adjourned after asking staff to return with timing and follow‑up materials; Snyder said he hopes the annex will reach full council in March and that staff will continue community engagement and progress reporting.

Next steps: staff will return to council with the annex (targeted for March), add requested cost‑tier guidance and performance‑metric framing, and pursue grant and CIP opportunities for prioritized earthquake and wildfire projects.