Police Department
Reference: Resolution Adoption- 2026 Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Stephanie Hackett, Emergency Manager
Date Prepared: June 1, 2026
PURPOSE
To review and adopt the proposed multi-jurisdictional 2026 Draft Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan, of which the City of Brighton participated, and is included in Annex B of the document. This document has been approved by Adams County, the State of Colorado and is awaiting approval by FEMA and serves as a framework to guide current and future hazard mitigation planning with the goal of ensuring the City of Brighton remains a prepared, resilient community- focused on pre disaster opportunities to mitigate hazards and protect our residents.
The City of Brighton’s section of the plan includes an in-depth community profile, the identification and prioritization of local hazards, vulnerability and capability assessments and a mitigation action plan.
BACKGROUND
Following the 2013 floods, The City of Brighton worked closely with Weld County to develop and create the 2016 multi-jurisdictional Weld County Hazard Mitigation Plan which was federally approved and subsequently adopted by the Brighton City Council. In 2020, the City of Brighton opted to coordinate with Adams County in the Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan. In 2024, the 2026 Adams County Hazard Mitigation plan was developed and, due to unforeseen circumstances, has not yet completed the full approval process and is currently awaiting review and approval by FEMA. As these plans are valid for 5 years, we do not have a current local Hazard Mitigation Plan as required for eligibility for several federal grants.
As we are currently in the process of addressing many of our Mitigation Action items by applying for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant (BRIC), the State of Colorado suggested we locally adopt the 2026 Draft Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan while it awaits approval to address compliance and eligibility requirements.
As this plan is required to undergo a rigorous approval process at the county, state and federal levels, the City of Brighton has participated and has thus far fulfilled all local requirements. These requirements include participation in multi-jurisdictional planning meetings, inter departmental coordination on project input and sharing the plan with our community and inviting public comment before formal adoption. The City of Brighton’s Annex B contains all the information specific to our city and has been provided. It includes input from the Office of Emergency Management, Office of Sustainability, the Brighton Fire Rescue District, the Utilities Department, and the Streets and Fleet Department. The full 2026 Draft Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan is also available for review.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Proactive hazard mitigation planning will help to reduce the cost of emergency and disaster response and recovery efforts in the future by protecting critical City of Brighton facilities, reducing liability exposure and minimizing community impacts and disruptions. According to the Pew Research Center, every dollar invested into mitigation will save $6 in response.
An up to date, formally adopted Hazard Mitigation Plan allows the City of Brighton to become eligible to apply for mitigation-related funding.
Applicable mitigation based grants include:
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
• Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA)
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Review and adopt the draft multi-jurisdictional 2026 Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan by Resolution.
If council opts to not adopt this plan, we will not have an approved plan on record and will be ineligible to apply for financial support to achieve our mitigation priorities
OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
1.) Adopt as proposed
2.) Deny as proposed
ATTACHMENTS
• Resolution
• 2026 Draft Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan
• 2026 Draft Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan- Annex B City of Brighton
• PowerPoint Presentation - 2026 Adams County Hazard Mitigation Plan