Documenting the planning process provides a clear look at who was involved and what happened. It is the record of how you developed your plan. Having this documentation helps you identify lessons learned and apply them to future planning processes. Documenting the planning process provides a blueprint to follow in future planning efforts.
The plan document needs to provide enough information to tell the story of how the community formed the plan. This description is helpful for plan readers, which include local government officials, elected officials, stakeholders and the public. It helps them understand how the community made decisions.
The mitigation plan must document the planning process. This means explaining the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how” the plan was developed. There are many requirements that dictate how stakeholder and public involvement opportunities are documented during the planning process:
- The plan must describe the planning process. This can be a narrative description, but you can also include other records like copies of materials or sign-in sheets. Depending on how many meetings and engagements you had, this could be a lot of documentation. Summarize it in the plan and include copies in an appendix.
- The plan must list the representatives from each participant (local jurisdiction, special district, or other jurisdiction seeking approval) by agency and title. Names are not required. Protect the personal information of your planning team members, especially if you post your plan online. Explain how they participated. Participation can be met in many ways, including attending meetings, providing data, reviewing and commenting on drafts, and more.
- The plan must document that each of the required stakeholder types was given the opportunity to join in the planning process. Remember, those required stakeholders include local and regional agencies involved in mitigation activities; agencies that have the authority to regulate development; neighboring communities; representatives of businesses, academia and other private organizations; and representatives of nonprofit organizations that work directly with or provide support to underserved communities and socially vulnerable populations.
- The plan must document how the public was given the opportunity to be involved in the planning process. It must also state what that participation entailed, including how underserved communities and vulnerable populations were given the chance to participate. Remember, stakeholder participation must occur during the plan’s development (prior to submitting it for review). Documentation must also explain how their feedback informed the plan.
While not required, it is helpful to document the planning process. These items may include copies of meeting minutes, agendas, sign-in sheets and newspaper articles. You can include this type of information as an appendix to the plan.