EPC subcommittee says county hazard plan needs Portola Valley-specific fixes

The Portola Valley Emergency Preparedness Committeesubcommittee reported it has reviewed the towns draft safety element and the county-produced local multi-hazard mitigation plan and has submitted written comments to town staff to correct items it said are not tailored to Portola Valley.

"The committee reviewed the draft safety element as well as the local multi-hazard mitigation plan and sent comments to the town as requested," Dale said, noting the subcommittee filed its comments on Monday to meet the submission deadline. He told colleagues that the townportal limited uploads to five megabits and he had to deliver larger files manually.

Craig Taylor, who identified himself as town staff, said the county prepared much of the hazard mitigation plan as part of a broader process and that staff prioritized finishing Portola Valleythe safety element given budget constraints. "The hazard plan is something that's required by the state," Taylor said, adding that while the plan enables the town to apply for grants, it may not be "particularly well crafted for Portola Valley."

Committee members asked how their comments would be incorporated. Taylor said staff will decide how to fold the subcommitteecomments into the townmaterials and that, unless the full council asks for more input, the ad hoc committeeis likely finished with the safety element phase.

Committee members also discussed whether to prepare an annex or companion document to accompany the county document to capture Portola Valleyspecific tasks and priorities; the proposal was left for staff to implement or for the council to request further input. The ad hoc committee emphasized that its value is in getting considered comments into both the public record and staff workflows.

The committee flagged specific implementation issues for staff to follow up on, including the file-size limitation of the town portal and whether the county plan's content will be circulated to town committees for additional review. Members requested staff return to EPC with the responses and any corrected plan language so the committee can confirm the townchanges were made.

The meeting record shows the subcommittee submitted its comments to the town on Monday; a formal council review was discussed as the next procedural step.

The committee adjourned its discussion of the safety element after confirming staff follow-up; no formal motion beyond the minutes approval was recorded on the safety element item.