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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9764 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9764 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 16, 2015 � r ° Pagel of 2 x° ��rn SUBJECT: FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN 0 1675 This Informal Report is to provide City Council with information about the initiative to enhance the City's Floodplain Management Plan (IMP). The current IMP is contained within the Fort Worth Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (HazMAP) multi-hazard plan prepared by the Office of Emergency Management, and the HazMAP document was used to initiate the City of Fort Worth's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) in 2012. The flood-specific action items in HazMAP are now nearing completion. Transportation & Public Works / Stormwater Management staff is preparing an enhanced IMP with consultant assistance from Freese & Nichols, Inc., as well as significant input from an informal Stakeholders Group and the residents of Fort Worth. The IMP is the first in a series of public engagement and planning meetings that are being sponsored by T/PW Stormwater Management to obtain input and guidance as Divisional planning documents are created or revised. A IMP is required to participate and progress in CRS. Similar to the Property Protection Classification (PPC) and Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) programs, CRS evaluates the performance of communities with regard to public safety programs and rewards those communities that meet certain standards with lower insurance premiums for eligible policies. The City of Fort Worth is currently rated as a Level 8 CRS community. This enables certain flood insurance policies to receive up to a 10% discount on annual premiums. In 2014, this resulted in a potential savings of $179,045 city-wide. For reference, total premiums paid in 2014 were $1,932,557 for$559,000,700 of insurance in force. Considering the 2014 premium savings rate, the one-time expense of creating the IMP will be recovered through reduced flood insurance premiums within 16 months. Additional CRS points and, as a result, additional insurance savings can be generated by the development of an enhanced IMP that follows certain steps outlined by the CRS. The current goal for CRS participation is to achieve Level 6 status, resulting in up to a 20% discount on flood insurance premiums. Stormwater Management staff believe that this level of participation is achievable based upon existing program performance and staffing levels. Future improvements can be made with consideration of the IMP and Stormwater Master Plan priorities and ability to execute. The enhanced IMP will: * Document flood risk areas City-wide, with a focus on the regulatory floodplain. * Evaluate economic impacts of flooding to properties within the regulatory floodplain. * Inventory levees and dams that could be at risk of flooding. * Document a prioritized action plan to mitigate the identified risks. • Create a Program for Public Information to increase public education & outreach capabilities. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9764 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council June 16, 2015 � r ° Page 2 of 2 x° ��rn SUBJECT: FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN 0 1675 The Transportation and Public Works Department, Stormwater Management Division already has much of the information required for the FMP. A robust public involvement process is needed to ensure that the FMP is fully informed by the experience and ideas of the citizenry and that the requirements are met to receive additional CRS credit. A key part of the public involvement process required for the FMP is the development of a Stakeholders Group. The CRS guidelines require representation from residents as well as the Real Estate and Insurance industries. The citizens in the table below have agreed to voluntarily serve on the committee. Each of the citizens listed below has firsthand experience with flooding issues in their neighborhood. If City Councilmembers have suggestions for additional committee members staff will follow-up with those people to solicit their participation. Name Customer Class Jim Austin Real Estate Agent Michael Dellies Developer's Engineer LaWa ne Hauser Resident Mary Kelleher Resident Rick Kubes Small business owner Larry Langston Resident Kent Lloyd Insurance Agent Joe Schneider Developer Ron Shearer Resident Joe Waller Resident Mikel Wilkens Sustainability Engineer Libby Willis Resident In addition to the citizens named above, the group also includes City staff from TPW, Parks and Community Services,Planning and Development, Law, and the Office of Emergency Management. The process to develop the FMP will include several meetings, open to the public, of the Stakeholders Group as well as open meetings for the general public. The public outreach effort will also include social media and information posted to the City's website. The goal is to receive and process all input and recommend adoption of the FMP to City Council by the end of September 2015. If there are any questions about this report, or to nominate additional members for the Stakeholders Group, please contact Clair Davis, the City's Floodplain Administrator at extension 5981. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS