Findlay council delays expedited adoption of updated hazard mitigation plan tied to $24 million in FEMA flood funding

Findlay City Council on Aug. 19 declined to suspend its normal reading rules to immediately adopt an updated hazard mitigation plan officials say FEMA requires before it will execute a grant agreement tied to roughly $24 million for flood projects.

The plan update, submitted to the Ohio EMA and FEMA, was described by Regional Planning Director Matt Cardani as the final administrative step FEMA said the city must complete before it will obligate grant funds for the Phase 2 benching and the Eagle Creek Basin project. "They found that one of the items that FEMA has stated is that they cannot execute a grant agreement with us on this until we have…this updated hazard mitigation plan," Cardani said during the meeting.

Council members were sharply divided over whether to expedite the resolution. Councilman Palmer moved to suspend the statutory rule and adopt the resolution at second and third reading; Councilwoman Wernicke seconded. The motion to suspend the rules failed after a roll call that included at least one dissenting vote from Councilwoman Frishee, who told colleagues she had not had time to review the roughly 300-page packet and objected to rushing the process. "A packet that size not being reviewed and having that time...I was under the impression that we had our FEMA money secured for flood mitigation," Frishee said.

Why it matters: Cardani and the mayor said the plan is required every five years and that FEMA has indicated delays in adoption could slow or block the city's ability to receive the grant money and begin projects this fall. Cardani said the update adds about 30 action items for natural hazards and two new items requested by partners: installation of a low-level radar system to improve tornado detection in rural areas and an upgrade to the IPAWS public alert-and-warning system.

Council debate centered on tradeoffs between urgency and review time. Mayor Murn urged members to move quickly because, he said, further delay could postpone planned bidding and construction and increase costs: "Every day that we delay it is an opportunity where we can have another flood event…By getting this executed, we can then get it filed with FEMA. That will then mark us off that box in their system." Cardani warned that if the city misses the fall bid schedule it could face additional costs tied to seasonal issues such as bat remediation in structures slated for work.

Councilman Hellman and others said they were familiar with the plan and supported expedited action. Frishee and at least one other council member said they needed more time to read and ask specific questions; Frishee said she expected to use the standard three-reading process rather than an expedited path.

Outcome and next steps: Because the motion to suspend the rules failed, council did not adopt the resolution that night. Mayor Murn asked members to check schedules so a special meeting could be called; council discussed the possibility of meeting as soon as Aug. 25 to complete review and vote. Cardani and city staff said they would prepare a red-line summary of changes and a short briefing to aid review. The city also indicated it has started other related local floodplain work, including a water and sewer committee recommendation to allocate an additional $10,000 to complete residential flood vent installations identified in a prior survey.

Cardani noted the Ohio EMA and FEMA had reviewed the document and returned it with requested edits, and he said the city does not commit to implementing every listed action item by adopting the plan: the document is a planning and mitigation guide required for FEMA eligibility. "There was no changes in the action items which were discussed by the community," Cardani said.

Council members asked for a red-line version and a short summary of substantive changes; Mayor Murn said he would contact members to schedule a special meeting for a final vote.