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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />INFORMATION ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 11, 2007 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ( - C <br />SUBJECT: Report on the Consultant Services to Determine Topographic Elevation Data <br />and Authorization to Proceed with a FEMA Grant Application <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENTS: <br />Attachment 1 -Floodplain Management <br />for the National Floodplain Insurance <br />Program and Community Rating <br />System <br />Attachment 2 -Report of the <br />Governmental Service Center Annex <br />Elevation Certificate <br />Attachment 3 -Outreach Fact Sheet <br />Attachment 4 -Pre/Post FIRM Table <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Craig Benedict, 245 2592 <br />Glenn Bowles, Certified Floodplain <br />Manager, 245 2577 <br />Pam Jones, 245 2650 <br />PURPOSE: To review the results of the land surveying for the floodplain elevation certificates <br />surveying project and to consider authorizing staff to proceed with a FEMA Hazard Mitigation <br />Grant Program. <br />BACKGROUND: On September 15, 2005, a letter was received from the Federal Emergency <br />Management Agency (FEMA), outlining why Orange County could not receive approval to <br />participate in the Community Rating System (CRS). CRS is a voluntary program for local <br />government to encourage, enact, and enforce floodplain regulations. The CRS recognizes and <br />encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum National <br />Flood Insurance Plan (NFIP) requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates can be <br />discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the <br />three goals of the CRS: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) <br />promote the awareness of flood insurance. If the County can document floodplain elevations <br />and the appropriate adjacent grade and first floor elevations for a good portion of the estimated <br />number of residences and accessory buildings found in flood-prone areas, it may be eligible to <br />participate and gain the benefit from the CRS program. <br />With the BOCC acceptance of the new floodplain maps on January 23, 2007, which became <br />effective on February 2, 2007, there are now some 76 residences and accessory buildings in <br />flood-prone areas and 39 of those are due to the new mapping. The table in Attachment 4 (Pre- <br />FIRM /Post-FIRM Conditions) summarizes impacts of the recently adopted new floodplain <br />mapping program. <br />Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc. of Raleigh, the selected land surveyors for the program, submitted a <br />bid of $26,660, based on 86 completed surveys. Staff could only get written or verbal <br />