Engagement Opportunities

Steering Committee  

 As the title suggests, the role of the Steering Committee is to guide the Planning Team through the process of drafting the HMP update. The committee will provide guidance and leadership, oversee the planning process, and act as the point of contact for all partners and the various interest groups in the planning area. Essentially the Steering Committee is comprised of full-time staff from the Montgomery County Planning Commission and Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. Key players are identified below and those planners who have contributed to past HMP’s at Montgomery County are italicized: 

Montgomery County Planning Commission Environmental SectionDrew Shaw, AICP, Environmental Planning Manager
Jon Lesher, LEED Green Assoc., Environmental Planning Assist. Manager
Ellis Foley, AICP, LEED Green Assoc., Environmental Planner II
Montgomery County Planning Commission
Trails & Open Space Section		Donna Fabry, Senior Trails & Open Space Planner
Montgomery County Public Safety
Emergency Management Division		Joe Anna Haelig, Community Resilience Planner


Planning Team 

The Planning Team is composed local government agency, academic and other organization leaders. The Planning Team will work with the Steering Committee by providing insight and expertise into key areas of the HMP. A strong, effective planning team will consist of a broad range of stakeholders from various sectors. Diversity and variety is extremely valuable to successfully developing long-term strategies for protecting people and property from hazard events.  In the past, the Planning Team has been composed of members from the following organizations:  

  • Montgomery County Commissioners Office 
  • Montgomery County Department of Public Safety 
  • Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services 
  • Abington Township 
  • Limerick Township 
  • Lower Gwynedd Township 
  • Springfield Township 
  • Towamencin Township 
  • Upper Dublin Township 
  • Upper Gwynedd Township 
  • Upper Merion Township 
  • Upper Providence Township 
  • Whitemarsh Township 
  • PECO/Exelon Corporation 
  • SEI Corporation 
  • Merck  
  • Holy Redeemer Hospital  
  • Ursinus College

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

We aim to maintain public engagement throughout the HMP Update process. Public input is crucial in order to inform the planning process of this important document update. A series of public meetings will be held to gather information and opinions on the types of hazards of greatest concerns to Montgomery County’s residents. We will notify the broader public over social media; please share the information for theses public meetings with your family, friends, neighbors, and work colleagues who live or work in Montgomery County.

The first series of public meetings were held in early December. We invite you to view the meeting materials.

Montgomery County Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Meeting
Montco HMP Public Meeting

Community participation and comments were encouraged throughout the planning process. The update process began with an extensive survey the general public. The data and inputs from these surveys advised the Planning Team on priority vulnerabilities and activities to pursue over the course of the update. A report and presentation summarizing survey responses is available here:     

Hazard Mitigation Questionnaire 
for Montgomery County 
Residents - PresentationHazard Mitigation Questionnaire