City reports large assessed-value increase; FEMA floodplain remapping may add properties to regulated floodplain

City Administrator Steve Lawler told the Carl Junction Board of Aldermen on Aug. 5 that the city’s assessed valuation rose substantially from prior years, and that FEMA has started a multiyear process to update floodplain mapping that will affect properties in the lower reaches of Fall Creek. Lawler reported the city’s 2025 assessed valuation increased markedly compared with recent years; council discussion referenced prior values near $49 million rising to a 2025 valuation reported in the meeting materials as roughly $120 million. Lawler said state auditor formulas and the Hancock Amendment limit how much of that increased valuation the city may capture in property tax revenue; the city expects to be able to collect an estimated $15,000 more in property tax revenue under the levy formula at the next meeting but said residents’ freezes and state adjustments could affect final numbers. On floodplain mapping, Lawler said FEMA is conducting a mapping update that will change the boundaries of the regulated floodplain in parts of the city, particularly in the lower end of Fall Creek. Staff said some properties that touch the updated floodplain will now fall under floodplain regulations and could become subject to flood insurance requirements. Lawler said the federal process is expected to take about a year before it is finalized and that staff will provide residents with the FEMA mapping web address and answer questions at city hall. Council members asked staff to consider floodplain ordinance changes to align with any FEMA updates and to advise residents affected by the mapping when the process concludes. Lawler said staff will follow up with additional information and that ordinance changes may be necessary once FEMA’s maps are final.