Submitted By
Mike Charley, Public Health Director
Reviewed By
LKS
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Resolution Adopting Certain Portions of the Update to the Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
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Overview
Overview
The Cook County Hazard Mitigation Plan (CCHMP) Update was completed in 2019 and covers approximately 121 communities in Cook County. It was approved by both the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Village Board is required to adopt this plan in order to be included in any regional projects or receive grant monies initiated by this plan.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
Adopt certain portions of the Cook County Hazard Mitigation Plan as referenced in this agenda item.
Fiscal Impact
The adoption of this plan is required for the Village to be eligible to participate in future projects in Cook County funded by the Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP). These funds are managed and dispersed by FEMA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD). In most cases when these grants are awarded, the participating municipalities would be required to provide a 25% match in funds or services. Those municipalities involved, on a case-by-case/project-by-project basis, would negotiate the split of the 25% match prior to the project being approved.
Background
Cook County contracted with Tetra Tech, a multinational consulting corporation, in 2013 to create an HMP and invited several communities to sit on the Steering Committee. Public comment regarding this plan was sought by Cook County and provided for at several Steering Committee meetings throughout the process including public briefings and displays. Additionally, the public was invited to view and comment on portions of the draft CCHMP prior to submission to IEMA. Since the initial release, an update to the plan was adopted by Village Board in 2015.
The CCHMP includes risk assessments, various cost benefit studies and project costs. It should be noted that the County is not mandated to use these costs when a project is implemented. These are planning figures only and would be amended as necessary when grant/project opportunities arise and as determined through discussions with Cook County and other municipalities.
The CCHMP is broken into two separate volumes (Volumes are attached to this agenda item). Volume 1 is the general hazard information for the County. Volume 2 contains countywide mitigation actions, as well as annexes specific to each participating municipality. Passing this resolution will adopt Volume 1 which includes all federally required elements of a disaster mitigation plan including Countywide Mitigation Actions that apply to all of Cook County and Volume 2 which consists of all federally required jurisdiction-specific elements which includes individual annexes for each participating jurisdiction including the Oak Park Annex.
Hazard mitigation is the use of long-term and short-term policies, programs, projects, and other activities to alleviate the death, injury, and property damage that can result from a disaster. Cook County and a coalition of 121 municipal planning partners prepared and updated the 2019 Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJ-HMP) in order to identify the risks posed by hazards and find ways to reduce their impacts. The plan reduces risk for those who live in, work in, and visit the County.
The defined mission for the 2019 Cook County MJ-HMP is to “Identify risks and sustainable, cost effective actions to mitigate the impact of natural hazards to protect the life, health, safety, welfare, and economy of the communities of Cook County.”
Alternatives
The Board could elect to not adopt the CCHMP. The Village of Oak Park could be excluded from future regional mitigation projects funded through the HMGP or could be required to pay a larger portion of the project than other municipalities.
Previous Board Action
The Village of Oak Park Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved by IEMA and FEMA in 2013 and was adopted by the Village Board on October 7, 2013. A resolution adopting certain portions of the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update was adopted by the Village Board on May 18, 2015.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
N/A
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
Cook County is required to update the CCHMP every five years. Each participating municipality is required to update their annex on the same schedule. Funding for each multi-jurisdictional project will be handled on a case by case basis in negotiations with Cook County and other affected communities.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
This plan is designed for regional/county intergovernmental cooperation on mitigation projects affecting Cook County. Each project could include different municipalities, and agreements would be handled on an individual basis.