Res 2024-045 approving the 2024 City of San Marcos Hazards Mitigation Action Plan (“HMAP”)

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SECTION 2: PLANNING PROCESS PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT An important component of hazard mitigation planning is public participation and stakeholder involvement. Input from individual residents and the community as a whole provides the Planning Team with a greater understanding of local concerns and increases the likelihood of successfully implemented hazard mitigation actions. If residents and stakeholders, such as local businesses, non -profits, hospitals, and schools are involved, they are more likely to gain a greater appreciation of the risks that hazards may present in their community and take steps to reduce or mitigate their impact. The public was involved in the development of the City of San Marcos Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2024 at different stages prior to official Plan approval and adoption. Public input was sought using three methods: (1) open public meetings; (2) survey instruments; and (3) making the draft Plan Update available for public review on the City of San Marcos's Facebook City Hall page along with the Office of Emergency Management website. The planning team worked to identify local agencies, organizations and community leaders that focus on reaching vulnerable populations and underserved communities. These organizations were included in the planning process as stakeholders and were invited to participate in the planning process via email (Table 2-4) including the American Red Cross, COAD SMTX, Feeding America - Central Texas Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Greater San Marcos Youth Council Inc., Blanco River Regional Recovery Team, Hays County Food Bank, Salvation Army, San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, San Marcos Housing Authority, and San Marcos CISD. In addition, public notices were posted on bulletin boards in public facilities including at the City of San Marcos City Hall. The draft Plan Update was made available to the general public for review and comment on the City of San Marcos' Facebook and OEM website. The public was notified at the public meetings that the draft Plan Update would be available for review. No feedback was received on the draft Plan Update, although it was given on the public survey, and all relevant information was incorporated into the Plan Update. Public input was utilized to assist in identifying hazards that were of most concern to residents of the city and what actions they felt should be included and prioritized. The Plan Update will be advertised and posted on City of San Marcos' Office of Emergency Management website upon approval from FEMA and a copy will be kept in the Office of Emergency Management. S. AKEh---" . iNVOLVEN," . Stakeholder involvement is essential to hazard mitigation planning since a wide range of stakeholders can provide input on specific topics and from various points of view. Throughout the planning process, members of community groups, local businesses, neighboring jurisdictions, schools, universities, and hospitals were invited to participate in development of the Plan Update. The Stakeholder Working Group (Table A-3 in Appendix A, and Table 2-4, below), included a broad range of representatives from both the public and private sector and served as a key component in the City's outreach efforts for development of the Plan Update. Documentation of stakeholder meetings is found in Appendix E. A list of organizations invited to attend via email is found in Table 2-4. City of San Marcos I Hazard Mitigation Action Plan Update 2024 1 Page 12