Check Your Roadmap for 2026 and Look Ahead to 2027

As we move into the final month of the 2026 Risk Management Review (RMR), your agency should review its progress on agreed upon RMR activities, address outstanding items on the Essentials of Risk Management Form (ERMF) and ensure you submit all required documentation on time. These steps can strengthen your agency’s risk management efforts and maximize your 2026 incentive reward.

What Park Districts Should Do Now

With the Nov. 1 deadline approaching, we recommend the following steps:

1. Review your outstanding ERMF questions. Identify which items still require remediation or supporting documentation.
2. Prioritize Orange and Red items. These areas generally represent the greatest opportunity to improve your risk profile and, depending on your rating, may have a significant impact on your incentive award.
3. Gather supporting documentation. Make sure your documentation clearly demonstrates how your agency addressed the identified issue.
4. Upload materials early. Give your Risk Management Consultant time to review your submissions and provide feedback.
5. Review your SMART Action Steps. Confirm activities are progressing toward their completion dates.
6. Document your work. Good documentation not only supports incentive performance but also creates a useful record for your agency’s ongoing risk management program.

Why ERMF Remediation Matters

Up to 75 percent of your agency’s potential total incentive award for 2026 is tied to remediating questions on the ERMF; strong encouragement to address those risk areas that might otherwise remain on your to-do list. Resolving an identified problem can help your agency reduce exposure, improve consistency, document good practices and create a safer environment for employees, patrons and the community. Think of the ERMF not simply as an assessment, but as your roadmap. The questions identified for remediation highlight areas where your agency can make practical improvements.

Don’t Wait Until Nov. 1

The deadline for uploading supporting material is Nov. 1, 2026 — but submitting documentation early gives your PDRMA Risk Management Consultant the chance to review it and provide feedback. Then, if you need to provide additional information or clarification, there still may be time to do so before the deadline.

How ERMF Remediation Affects Your 2026 Incentive

The incentive structure rewards agencies for making progress on their outstanding ERMF items. How much of the incentive your agency receives depends upon its overall rating and the extent to which you’ve remedied the identified questions.

• Agencies with a Green Overall Rating.
  • Receive 100 percent of incentive award.
• Agencies with a Blue Overall Rating.
  • Receive 85 percent of incentive. Additional incentive opportunities based on remediation efforts.
    • All questions remediated: 100 percent of incentive.
    • All Orange and Red questions remediated: 90 percent of incentive.
    • Some Orange and Red questions remediated: 85 percent of incentive.
    • No Orange or Red questions, but all Blue and Yellow questions remediated: 100 percent of incentive.
    • Some Blue and Yellow questions remediated: 90 percent of incentive.
    • No remediation completed: 85 percent of incentive.

This allows agencies to increase their incentive by demonstrating progress on the risk management issues identified on the ERMF.

• Agencies with a Yellow 2025 ERMF Rating.
  • Receive 70 percent of incentive. Additional incentive opportunities based on remediation.
    • All Orange and/or Red questions remediated: 85 percent of incentive.
    • Some or no Orange/Red questions remediated: 70 percent of incentive.
    • All questions remediated: 100 percent of incentive.
• Agencies with an Orange or Red 2025 ERMF Rating.
  • Incentive based on 2026 ERMF performance.

Remaining 25 Percent — Completing Your Action Plan

The remaining 25 percent of the incentive lies in completing specific activities by their completion dates, as well as finishing all applicable SMART Action Steps by their agreed-upon deadlines.

It’s important to realize that identifying a risk is only the first step. The real value comes from taking action to address it. Completing SMART Action Steps helps turn risk management recommendations into measurable improvements. It also provides a way to track progress and demonstrate your agency is actively managing identified risks.

NOTE: PDRMA will send incentive checks to all eligible members by the end of December.

Looking Ahead to 2027

For RMR 2027, you can expect the following:

• Annual Kickoff Forms — Provided by the end of January.
• Annual Kickoff Meetings — Completed by April 1.
• 2027 ERMF — Work with your PDRMA Risk Management Consultant to identify opportunities for improvement to complete the ERMF. This will include completing agreed upon activities and applicable SMART Goal steps.