2019_KittitasCountyHMP_Volume 1_For Adoption

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CHAPTER 2. PLAN METHODOLOGY 2-6 Stakeholder Meeting On December 12, 2018, Core Planning Team staff again met with the Kittitas Fire Adapted Communities Coalition (see list of participating stakeholders, above). At this meeting the draft plan was presented and review comments were solicited. Steering Committee Draft Plan Review Meeting A steering committee and stakeholder meeting was held on January 9, 2019 to review the draft plan and solicit additional input. Emphasis was given to reviewing county-wide mitigation initiatives and discussing the addition of new initiatives. Three new mitigation initiatives, in addition to the five added during the HIRA meeting, were suggested, reviewed, and approved. All mitigation initiatives were ranked by meeting attendees using the STAPLE/E evaluation methodology to indicate which initiatives should be prioritized by the County. The results of this exercise were used to supplement the benefit -cost ranking of the mitigation initiatives, and can be seen in Table 18-3. Jurisdictional Subcommittee Meetings In addition to the four Steering Committee and Stakeholder Meetings discussed above, a series of ten Jurisdictional Subcommittee working sessions were held between members of the core Planning Team from the County and jurisdictional representatives. The purpose of those meetings were to supplement the larger group meetings and to work on updating the jurisdictional annexes, including evaluation of risks unique to the jurisdictions, changes in capabilities, disposition of 2012 mitigation strategies, and development of new mitigation strategies. Table 2-4 provides a list of those meetings and the dates on which they were held. 2.8 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT Broad public participation in the planning process helps ensure that diverse points of view about the planning area’s needs are considered and addressed. 44 CFR requires that the public have opportunities to comment on disaster mitigation plans during the drafting stages and prior to plan approval (Section 201.6.b.1). The Community Rating System expands on these requirements by making CRS credits available for optional public involvement activities. 2.8.1 Strategy The strategy for involving the public in this plan emphasized the following elements: • Use an online public survey to determine if the public’s perception of risk and support of hazard mitigation has changed since the initial planning process. • Attempt to reach as many planning area citizens as possible using multiple media. • Identify and involve planning area stakeholders. • Hold multiple public meetings throughout the update process. Stakeholders and the Steering Committee Stakeholders are the individuals, agencies and jurisdictions that have a vested interest in the recommendations of the hazard mitigation plan, including planning partners. The effort to include stakeholders in this process included stakeholder participation on the steering committee. All members of the steering committee live or work in Kittitas County. Committee members represented water districts, flood task forces, government agencies, disaster/emergency coordinators, fire, utility and school districts. The steering committee met three times during the course of the plan’s development and