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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: July 13, 2020 <br />TOPIC: Letter of Final Determination for Federal Emergency Management Agency <br />Flood Insurance Rate Maps <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Direction to staff regarding Kittitas County's ability to <br />update Kittitas County Code 14.08 within next 6 months. <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Arden Thomas and Mark Cook <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Recommend to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they issue the <br />pending Letter of Final Determination for Flood Insurance Rate Map Updates. <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br />• Kittitas County is a participating community in that National Flood Insurance <br />Program. Participating in the National Flood Hazard Program provides benefits to <br />County residents, particularly the ability to take out a Federally backed mortgage <br />and receive disaster assistance. <br />• To participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, Kittitas County must <br />have a floodplain management ordinance that meets minimum Federal and state <br />criteria and must adopt and utilize floodplain hazard maps provided by FEMA. <br />• FEMA developed floodplain maps for Kittitas County in 1981. In 2010, FEMA <br />initiated a process to update these maps. FEMA issued draft maps and received <br />public comments in 2014. In 2015, Public Works provided a subset of the <br />mapping effort to FEMA supporting a limited map adoption process. Public <br />outreach was conducted in 2016, before issuing preliminary maps in 2017. <br />FEMA held public meetings in 2017 and there was an appeal period from January <br />to April 2018. <br />• The new maps incorporate better topography information and are more accurate. <br />The area identified as a floodway is reduced in several locations. There are areas <br />where new areas are mapped as floodplain, the areas with the most significant <br />change include Thorp and the Manastash alluvial fan. <br />• FEMA was scheduled to provide a Letter of Final Determination on April 15, <br />2020 but delayed due to Coronovirus concerns. Once Kittitas County receives the <br />letter of Final Determination, we will need to update KCC 14.08 within six <br />months. <br />Page 1 of 3 <br />PUBLIC WORKS BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />