Monroe County adopts 2025 hazard mitigation plan; officials urge municipal adoption

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 21 to adopt the 2025 Monroe County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan following a presentation by Maryellen Keegan, director of the county Office of Emergency Management.

Keegan told the board that Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance requires local governments to maintain a current hazard mitigation plan updated every five years and that an adopted plan is a prerequisite for eligibility for presidential disaster-declaration assistance and federal hazard mitigation grant funding. Keegan said the planning effort followed a $157,000 award through the COVID Post-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and represents the county’s fifth iteration of a countywide plan first developed in 2006. "FEMA has found that for every dollar invested in mitigation, an average of six dollars is saved in future disaster recovery costs," Keegan said.

The board adopted Resolution R-2026-2 to approve the plan (motion by Commissioner Sharon S. Laverdure, seconded by Vice-Chairman David C. Parker, carried). Chairman John D. Christy asked about municipal adoption and funding guidance; Keegan clarified what municipal adoption requires under the plan and the relationship between municipal and county adoption for eligibility. Commissioner Laverdure urged residents to contact their municipalities to adopt the plan to keep the county eligible for funding and "to keep the county moving forward."

Adoption formalizes the county’s mitigation priorities and preserves Monroe County’s eligibility for federal hazard mitigation grants and disaster-declaration assistance. County officials said the plan update will allow Monroe County and participating municipalities to apply for mitigation funding that can reduce future recovery costs.