*Authorize application to Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation grant program up to $352,230 to increase City resilience with a comprehensive City Building Damage Assessment Plan

The City of Portland ordains: Section 1. The Council finds: The Department of Homeland Security through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments so they can rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future disaster losses in their communities. HMGP provides financial assistance to states that have experienced a presidentially declared disaster. Grant funding is available in Oregon due to our 2020 Wildfires and Straight-line Winds disaster (federal designation is HMGP-DR-4562-OR). Funding is authorized for all areas of the state. The City of Portland, Bureau of Development Services is responsible for assessing the safety of the City’s buildings. There is no current plan for doing this at scale after the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. This application supports developing a comprehensive building damage assessment plan. A comprehensive and detailed plan includes identifying and prioritizing critical buildings, credentialling qualified volunteer safety assessors, launching EQUIP (Emergency Quick Inspection Program authorizes qualified applicants to inspect their own institutional buildings), developing an expedited permitting process, training BDS staff, and community outreach to raise awareness, encourage readiness, and set expectations. There is a 25% cost share match requirement for this grant ($117,964). Cost share will be met by contributed staff time and donation of in-kind resources. NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs: The Mayor is authorized to apply for this grant from the Department of Homeland Security up to the amount of $352,230 in a form similar to the proposal documents included as Exhibit A. The Mayor is authorized to provide such information and assurances as are required for the grant period. The Office of Management and Finance (OMF) Grants Management Division is authorized to perform all administrative matters in relation to the grant application, grant agreement or amendments, requests for reimbursement from the grantor, and to submit required online grant documents on the Mayor’s behalf. Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists to expedite grant submission and review so that the project can begin in parallel with the already funded Regional Building Damage Assessment Project. Delays in applying for this grant will result in lost efficiencies and synergies and possibly the exhaustion of available federal funds; therefore, this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by Council.