Title
PUBLIC HEARING RELATED TO THE AMENDMENT TO SEDGWICK COUNTY CODE REGARDING FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT AND ADOPTION OF NEW FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS.
Presented by: Kelly Dixon, CFM, Codes and Floodplain Technician, Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Division (MABCD).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt the resolution.
Body
Background:
Sedgwick County has always had areas that were subject to periodic flooding. In 1986, Sedgwick County joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) so that the citizens living in flood prone areas of the County would be able to purchase flood insurance to protect their properties from losses due to flooding. This flood insurance was not available from any source other than through the NFIP and for the NFIP insurance to be available, a community must join. Furthermore, as the result of federal legislation, any mortgage that was backed by the Federal Government was mandated to be protected by flood insurance.
Sedgwick County’s membership in the NFIP came with the stipulations that the County regulate development in flood prone areas as they are defined by the Flood Insurance Rate Map. These regulations adopted served to protect human life and health, minimize the expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects, and minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding.
The County's Flood Insurance Rate Maps have been in place since 1986, with only minor revisions being included in 2007 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) digitized maps and in 2012 when the Calfskin Creek and Dry Creek were restudied and several maps were replaced. Since the 2007 revision, FEMA and the State of Kansas have partnered to provide Sedgwick County and all its incorporated cities with a better, more accurate representation of the flood risks. This was aided by the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County’s acquisition of better quality contour information. The results of this effort are the maps that will go effective on December 22, 2016 and that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) are voting to adopt.
In many areas, the new mapping reduced the size of the floodplain, but in others the floodplain grew all to better represent the real flood risk. These maps have been accessible to the general public since they went preliminary in early 2015. Numerous public meetings were held over the last 20 months to discuss these new maps and how they affect individual property owners. The County also sent out mailers to property owners who were going to be negatively affected by having a structure now being identified as being in a high risk zone.
As part of the agreement with the NFIP, the governing body is required to adopt the new maps prior to their effective date. Along with the map adoption, some minor wording changes have been included in the code to reflect the recommendations of FEMA and the Kansas Division of Water Resources.
Alternatives: Do not approve the resolution. If the floodplain map is not adjusted prior to December 22, 2016, the ability for Sedgwick County property owners located within the floodplain to receive flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program would be in jeopardy.
Financial Considerations: N/A
Legal Considerations: K.S.A. 12-766 requires that any potential change to the flood plain zone or district first be submitted to the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources for their approval. This approval has been obtained in the resolution draft. Pursuant to the Sedgwick County Code, any proposed change to the terms of the County’s Floodplain Management Code require that a notice be published not less than 20 days prior to a public hearing. A notice of hearing was published on September 14, 2016, for the public hearing set on October 5, 2016. Approval is by simple majority vote.
Policy Considerations: N/A
Outside Attendees: Unknown.
Multimedia Presentation: Yes.