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City staff reports Nicholasville retained CRS Class 8 rating; residents receive a 10% NFIP premium discount
Summary
Paul Bradford reported the city’s five‑year Community Rating System review kept Nicholasville at CRS Class 8, preserving a 10% discount on National Flood Insurance Program premiums despite stricter review standards and point losses tied to statewide building code credits.
Paul Bradford, a city staffer overseeing the floodplain program, briefed the Nicholasville City Commission on March 10 about the city’s Community Rating System (CRS) five‑year cycle review and what the result means for local homeowners and flood insurance costs.
Bradford said the city retained a CRS Class 8 rating, which the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) applies as a roughly 10% discount on community flood insurance premiums. He described the most recent five‑year review as more stringent than past visits and said several factors outside the city’s control reduced available points, including Kentucky's statewide building code adoption dating to 2015 and the retirement of a previously credited activity. Bradford said he salvaged the Class 8 rating by documenting additional public outreach, education points and by receiving credit for holding a certified floodplain manager position.
Why it matters: CRS participation is voluntary and exists under the NFIP to encourage floodplain management practices that exceed minimum federal standards. Communities that score higher on CRS earn greater discounts on flood‑insurance premiums for property owners in mapped floodplains. Bradford told commissioners that only about 36 Kentucky communities participate in CRS and that maintaining the rating helps keep premiums lower for residents who purchase NFIP policies.
Details Bradford provided included the program's structure (19 activity types across public information, mapping and regulations, flood‑damage reduction, and warning and response), the narrow statewide pool of certified floodplain managers (he cited 68 in the state) and that the city’s rating has typically been “on the cusp” of Class 8. He said the recent reviewer was "by the book" and more rigorous, but that the city’s documentation and additional outreach activities preserved the 10% discount.
Commission response: Commissioners thanked Bradford and suggested publicizing the rating on the city's Facebook page and website so residents are aware of the premium discount. Bradford said he is available for follow‑up questions and will continue to work on CRS activities to maintain or improve the city's credit.
No formal action was required at the meeting; the briefing was presented as an informational report to the commission.
