Mark Clary, head of the Lake County Emergency Management Office, asked the Ronan City Council to pass a resolution to adopt the Montana Western Montana Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2024-2029. They passed it unanimously at their March 12 meeting.

The plan serves 17 counties and the Flathead Reservation, and is the product of a regional planning process coordinated by the Montana Disaster & Emergency Services in 2022-2024 to develop regional hazard mitigation plans covering the entire state of Montana.

According to the plan’s executive summary, “The purpose of hazard mitigation is to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from disasters or hazard events,” such as wildfires, floods, weather events, and even ash from an erupted volcano.

The summary further explains that “studies have found that hazard mitigation is extremely cost-effective, with every dollar spent on mitigation saving an average of $6 in avoided future losses. By reducing exposure to known hazard risks, communities will save lives and property and minimize the social, economic, and environmental disruptions that commonly follow hazard events.”

The plan is available at des.mt.gov/mitigation/MT-Western-Region-Base-Plan-08.14.24.pdf.

In other business, the council passed resolution 2025-03, adopting the final budget for fiscal year 2024-2025.

The council also approved open container permits for and street closures for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 17, as well as the Mission Valley Pheasants Forever Fundraiser at the Ronan Community Center on April 19, and Western Montana Area on Aging Services “Monte Carlo Night” at the community center on May 3.

The next meeting will be March 26 at 6 p.m.