From
Stephanie Griffin, Floodplain Administrator
Title
Resolution approving the Floodplain Management Plan for the Community Rating System Program Update
Presenter
Stephanie Griffin, Floodplain Administrator
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
The City of Grand Prairie participates in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) program as part of the City’s floodplain management program. The Community Rating System provides insurance rate incentives to communities that participate in this federal program by implementing standards that help with educating and reducing the risk of flooding in the community. The City is currently ranked as a Class 5, which provides our community the opportunity to purchase floodplain insurance at a 25 percent discount. With over one-third of the City being located within the regulatory floodplain, the opportunity to purchase discounted flood insurance is a critical benefit to our residents and businesses.
FEMA has updated the CRS Program Manual. In order to remain a Class 5, the City must update its CRS program to align with the new manual and new requirements. On January 20, 2015, City Council authorized the Stormwater Department to enter into a contract with LAN to update the City’s CRS program. One of the deliverables of this contract is the development of a Floodplain Management Plan. This Plan is one of the requirements to move from a CRS Class 5 to a CRS Class 4 rating. Another requirement to become a CRS Class 4 community is to obtain a Building Code Effective Grading Schedule (BCEGS) of a 4 or better. Grand Prairie recently obtained a BCEGS rating of 3 for non-residential structures and 4 for residential structures. Thus, the building code requirement has been met.
The Floodplain Management Plan is based on the existing Hazard Mitigation Action Plan flood section with some additional FEMA requirements specific to the flood hazard. The Floodplain Management Plan was deve...
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