Section 5 - Plan Maintenance

The plan maintenance section of this document details the formal process that will ensure that Glendale's Hazards Mitigation Plan remains an active and relevant document. The plan maintenance process includes a schedule for monitoring and evaluating the Plan annually and producing a Plan revision every five years. This section describes how the City of Glendale will integrate public participation throughout the plan maintenance process. Finally, this section includes an explanation of how the City of Glendale government intends to incorporate the mitigation strategies outlined in this Plan into existing planning mechanisms such as the City's General Plan, Capital Improvement Plans, and Building and Safety Codes. Monitoring and Implementing the Plan Plan Adoption City Council will be responsible for adopting Glendale's Hazards Mitigation Plan. This governing body has the authority to promote sound public policy regarding natural hazard mitigation. Once the Plan has been adopted, the City Emergency Services Coordinator will be responsible for submitting the Plan to the State Hazard Mitigation Officer at the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services will then submit the Plan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review. This review will address the federal criteria outlined in FEMA Interim Final Rule 44 CFR Part 201. Upon acceptance by FEMA, Glendale will gain eligibility for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds. Coordinating Body The City of Glendale Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee will be responsible for coordinating implementation of Plan's action items and undertaking the formal review process. The City Mayor, or designee, will assign representatives from City agencies, including, but not limited to, the current Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee members. At this time, the Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee consists of a representative from each of the following City Departments or agencies: City of Glendale Fire Department, including Emergency Services City of Glendale Community Planning Department City of Glendale Management Services, and City of Glendale Public Works Department. The Steering Committee is supported by a larger body of advisors representing several other agencies and organizations that have a vested interest in managing or reducing the natural hazards in the city of Glendale. This larger body, referred to as the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee, has responsibility for reviewing the Plan and providing input on the action items proposed and their prioritization. The current Advisory Committee members include representatives from the following local agencies and organizations: City of Glendale Emergency Services City of Glendale Police Department City of Glendale Water and Power City of Glendale Parks, Recreation, and Community Services City of Glendale Engineering Department, Information Services Division City of Glendale Development Services Glendale Unified School District Glendale Memorial Hospital, and Verdugo Hills Hospital. In order to make this committee as broad and useful as possible, the City Mayor, or designee, may engage other relevant organizations and agencies, including: An elected official A representative from the Chamber of Commerce An insurance company representative Community Planning Organization representatives A representative from the City Manager's office Representatives from professional organizations such as the Home Builders Association A representative from the Office of Disaster Management, Area C, and Local residents Additional resources at the state and federal levels, in the form of ad-hoc committee members that could be invited to participate in Glendale's Natural Hazards Mitigation program, could be drawn from the following agencies: California Geological Survey Federal Emergency Management Agency California Governor's Office of Emergency Services The Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee will meet no less than quarterly. Meeting dates will be scheduled once the final Plan has been adopted by City Council and approved by the appropriate FEMA office. These meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss the progress of the action items and maintain the partnerships that are essential for the sustainability of the Mitigation Plan. Convener City Council will adopt Glendale's Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee will take responsibility for Plan implementation. The City Mayor, or designee, will serve as a convener to facilitate the meetings of the Hazard Mitigation Steering and Advisory Committees, and will assign tasks such as updating and presenting the Plan to the members of the committees. Plan implementation and evaluation will be a shared responsibility among all of the Hazard Steering Committee members. Future updates of the Plan will require participation of the Advisory Committee. Implementation through Existing Programs The City of Glendale addresses statewide planning goals and legislative requirements through its General Plan, Capital Improvement Plans, and City Building and Safety Codes. The Hazard Mitigation Plan provides a series of recommendations, many of which are closely related to the goals and objectives of existing planning programs. The City of Glendale will have the opportunity to implement recommended mitigation action items through existing programs and procedures. The City of Glendale Engineering, Community Planning and Fire Departments are responsible for administering the Building and Fire Codes, and other regulations designed to improve safety of the community, such as the policies in the Safety Element of the General Plan. In addition, the Hazard Steering Committee will work with other agencies at the state level to review, develop and implement Building and Safety Codes that are adequate to mitigate or reduce the damage posed by natural hazards. This is to ensure that life-safety criteria are met for new construction. The goals and action items in the Mitigation Plan may be achieved through activities recommended in the City's Capital Improvement Plans (CIP). Various City departments develop CIP plans and review them on an annual basis. Upon annual review of the CIPs, the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee will work with the City departments to identify areas that the Hazard Mitigation Plan action items are consistent with CIP planning goals and integrate them where appropriate. Within six months of formal adoption of the Mitigation Plan, the recommendations listed above will be incorporated into the process of existing planning mechanisms at the City level. The meetings of the Hazard Mitigation Steering and Advisory Committees will provide an opportunity for committee members to report back on the progress made on the integration of mitigation planning elements into City planning documents and procedures. Economic Analysis of Mitigation Projects FEMA's approaches to identify the costs and benefits associated with natural hazard mitigation strategies, measures, or projects, fall into two general categories: benefit/cost analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. Conducting a benefit/cost analysis for a mitigation activity can assist communities in determining whether a project is worth undertaking now, in order to avoid disaster-related damages later. Cost-effectiveness analysis evaluates how best to spend a given amount of money to achieve a specific goal. Determining the economic feasibility of mitigating natural hazards can provide decision-makers with an understanding of the potential benefits and costs of an activity, as well as a basis upon which to compare alternative projects. Given federal funding, the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee will use a FEMA-approved benefit/cost analysis approach to identify and prioritize mitigation action items. A copy of a Project Evaluation Worksheet modeled after the STAPPLE cost benefit analysis process preferred by FEMA, is included at the end of Chapter 4. For other projects and funding sources, the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee may use other approaches to understand the costs and benefits of each action item and develop a prioritized list. For more information regarding economic analysis of mitigation action items, please see Appendix C of the Plan. Evaluating and Updating the Plan Formal Review Process The City of Glendale Hazards Mitigation Plan will be evaluated on an annual basis to determine the effectiveness of programs, and to reflect changes in land development or programs that may affect mitigation priorities. The evaluation process includes a firm schedule and time line, and identifies the local agencies and organizations participating in Plan evaluation. The convener, or designee, will be responsible for contacting the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee members and organizing the annual meeting. Committee members will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the progress of the mitigation strategies in the Plan. The Committee will review the goals and action items to determine their relevance to changing situations in the City, as well as changes in State or Federal policy, and to ensure they are addressing current and expected conditions. The Committee will also review the risk assessment portion of the Plan to determine if this information should be updated or modified, given new available data. The coordinating organizations responsible for the various action items will report on the status of their projects, the success of various implementation processes, difficulties encountered, success of coordination efforts, and which strategies should be revised. The convener will assign the duty of updating the Plan to one or more of the Steering Committee members. The designated committee members will have three months to make appropriate changes to the Plan before submitting it to the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee members, and presenting it to City Council. The Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee will also notify all holders of the City Plan when changes have been made. Every five years the updated Plan will be submitted to the State Hazard Mitigation Officer and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for review. Continued Public Involvement The City of Glendale is dedicated to involving the public directly in review and updates of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee members are responsible for the annual review and update of the Plan. The public will also have the opportunity to provide feedback about the Plan. Copies of the Plan will be kept at all of the appropriate agencies in the City, as well as at the Central Library and branches. The Plan will also be placed on the City's website for review by the public, or alternatively, the existence and location of copies of the Plan will be publicized on the City's website and newsletters. In addition, information on how to obtain copies of the Plan and any proposed changes will be posted on the City's website. This site will list an e-mail address and phone number to which people can direct their comments and concerns. A public meeting will also be held after each annual evaluation or when deemed necessary by the Hazard Mitigation Advisory Committee. The meetings will provide the public with a forum from which they can express their concerns, opinions, or ideas about the Plan. The City's Public Information Officer will be responsible for using City resources to publicize the annual public meetings and maintain public involvement through the City's public access channel, web page, and newspapers or newsletters. Send us your feedback! EMAIL ADDRESS:          Return to Glendale Local Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan page