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Item 1.I.
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| City Council Regular | |
| Date: | 06/09/2025 |
| Title: | Acceptance of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Award - Increment 1 |
| Presented by: | Debi Meling |
| Department: | Public Works |
| Presentation: | No |
| Legal Review: | Yes |
| Project Number: | N/A |
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award letter for Increment 1 of the grant. The award amount is $749,901.12 from FEMA and $1,774,500.00 from the State of Montana Disaster Emergency Services Resiliency Funds to cover the non-federal match.
BACKGROUND (Consistency with Adopted Plans and Policies, if applicable)
The award from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will serve two purposes for the City of Billings. First, the City of Billings will be able to construct a diversion structure from the BBWA Canal into the West End Water Treatment Plant and reservoirs. Second, the grant will address potential flooding by automating the headgates at the BBWA Canal and installing three additional diversion structures throughout Billings to offload water in the event of flooding or other disaster.
The first increment awarded by FEMA in this letter will allow the City to begin construction on the Canyon Creek unloader, while the remainder of the grant is sent for Federal Congressional approval (an additional $4,381,250.94 project cost). Additionally, the State of Montana will cover the non-federal portion of the match required by FEMA.
The BBWA Canal has historically had multiple flooding issues and has the potential to create landslides where it enters the tunnel in the Rimrocks north of downtown. Due to the potential for high-cost damages, the ability to divert water as quickly as possible to mitigate water damages and landslides will benefit the City immensely. Currently, the City does not have other funding sources to address this issue.
The first increment awarded by FEMA in this letter will allow the City to begin construction on the Canyon Creek unloader, while the remainder of the grant is sent for Federal Congressional approval (an additional $4,381,250.94 project cost). Additionally, the State of Montana will cover the non-federal portion of the match required by FEMA.
The BBWA Canal has historically had multiple flooding issues and has the potential to create landslides where it enters the tunnel in the Rimrocks north of downtown. Due to the potential for high-cost damages, the ability to divert water as quickly as possible to mitigate water damages and landslides will benefit the City immensely. Currently, the City does not have other funding sources to address this issue.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may:
- Authorize the Mayor to execute the FEMA HMGP Increment 1 Grant;or,
- Do not authorize the Mayor to execute the FEMA HMGP Increment 1 Grant. If the Grant is not signed, the City will not have the funding to connect to the BBWA Canal for the WEWTP or divert water to protect against flooding along the BBWA.
FISCAL EFFECTS
The City of Billings will not be required to meet the non-Federal match portion of the grant as agreed in the original application. Instead, the State of Montana will cover the City's match portion. These match funds would have come from Water and General Funds.