AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a staff presentation regarding the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Mitigation Action Plan, and provide direction to Staff.
Body
Meeting date: November 6, 2019
Department: Click or tap here to enter text.
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: Click or tap here to enter text.
Account Number: Click or tap here to enter text.
Funds Available: Click or tap here to enter text.
Account Name: Click or tap here to enter text.
Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: Click or tap here to enter text.
City Council Strategic Initiative: [Please select from the dropdown menu below]
Choose an item.
Choose an item.
Choose an item.
Comprehensive Plan Element (s): [Please select the Plan element(s) and Goal # from dropdown menu below]
☐ Economic Development - Choose an item.
☐ Environment & Resource Protection - Choose an item.
☐ Land Use - Choose an item.
☐ Neighborhoods & Housing - Choose an item.
☐ Parks, Public Spaces & Facilities - Choose an item.
☐ Transportation - Choose an item.
☐ Not Applicable
Master Plan: [Please select the corresponding Master Plan from the dropdown menu below (if applicable)]
Choose an item.
Background Information:
On August 30, 2019, the Federal Register published a notice providing the use of $24,012,000 in CDBG-Mitigation funds to the City of San Marcos. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of mitigation is any activity that increases resilience to disasters and reduces or eliminates the long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessening the impact of future disasters.
The City’s Action Plan is due to HUD on March 2, 2020.
The notice provides additional details for the City to consider.
• CDBG-MIT funds do not require a disaster “tie-back” to the 2015 flood events.
• CDBG-MIT funds cannot be used for emergency response services. May be used to enhance the resilience of facilities.
• HUD emphasized the importance of local/regional mitigation priorities that will have long-lasting effects on community risk reduction.
• Heavy dependence on Local Hazard Mitigation Plans.
• May expend funds outside of the City limits if the funds will mitigate within the City limits. (eg. flood prevention project upstream)
• 50% of the funding must be spent within 6 years. 100% of the funding must be spent within 12 years.
The City will have at least two public hearings. A draft Action Plan will be presented to the Council on December 3, 2019 to review. The Council will officially adopt the Action Plan in February of 2020 prior to submission to HUD.
The Action Plan is currently in the stakeholder outreach phase. A public town hall meeting was held at the Activity Center from 10am-7pm on October 29, 2019 to inform the public of the Action Plan and seek feedback.
Additionally, staff conducted a survey (available online & paper, in English & Spanish) seeking the public’s feedback and provide an opportunity to prioritize Mitigation Categories as defined in the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. Please find attached a report detailing the results of the survey to date.
Below are the Mitigation categories as outlined in the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan:
• Establishing evacuation plans and improving routes
• Disaster shelter improvements
• Establishing land banks to preserve strategic upland and floodplain areas to mitigate flooding
• Addressing repetitive loss by construction of public improvements
• Improve flood and hazard warning systems
• Increase number of warning signs and barricades at low water crossings
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
Click or tap here to enter text.
Alternatives:
Click or tap here to enter text.
Recommendation:
Click or tap here to enter text.