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Hooper City Council adopts county pre-disaster mitigation plan; secures FEMA eligibility
Summary
Hooper’s council voted unanimously to adopt Weaver County’s pre-disaster mitigation plan (Resolution R-2026-04), making the city eligible to apply for FEMA mitigation and disaster-recovery grants while prompting further discussion about formally designating or hiring a city emergency manager.
Hooper — On June 18, 2026, the Hooper City Council voted to adopt Resolution R-2026-04, approving the Utah pre-disaster mitigation plan prepared by Weaver County. The roll-call vote carried with council members Hill, Ralto, Hancock, Craig and Fowers voting in favor.
County emergency-management official Lisa Schwarz Glasslin told the council the plan and related participation make the city eligible to apply for FEMA grants after a federally declared disaster and to participate in pre-disaster mitigation funding. "FEMA says that if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen," she said, emphasizing the need for careful documentation to qualify for up to 75% federal reimbursement on eligible response and infrastructure costs.
The nut graf: Adoption allows Hooper to appear on the county mitigation plan and preserves the city’s ability to apply for certain federal recovery and mitigation funds. Council members said they approved the standard county template to meet the June 25 deadline while they sort remaining implementation questions.
Council discussion focused on staffing and compliance. Dave Harris, who has led much of the local mitigation work, told the council he has been acting as the emergency manager but is not a city employee. "I am identified as the EM but I'm not an employee," he said, warning that state code and grant rules treat employee designation as a compliance factor for some funding.
Legal counsel cautioned that FEMA and state grant programs expect jurisdictions to have an established program and, in some cases, a designated employee handling emergency-management duties. Council members asked legal staff to review whether a contractual arrangement or part-time employee would meet state requirements and how grants such as the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), which requires a local match, could be used if the city establishes a formal program.
The council approved the mitigation-plan resolution as presented. The immediate effect is that Hooper is listed as a participating jurisdiction for the county plan, preserving access to grant programs that require mitigation-plan participation.
The council directed staff and legal counsel to return with options for designating or hiring an emergency manager (employee vs. contract), and to report on potential funding and required training so the city can meet FEMA documentation and program requirements going forward.
