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County approves $60,000 contract for floodplain‑map outreach
Summary
Missoula County commissioners approved a professional services agreement of up to $60,000 with KLJ to support communications and public outreach for updated floodplain maps, using $30,000 carried over from the prior fiscal year and $30,000 from the current budget.
Missoula County commissioners on Oct. 5 approved a professional services agreement (PSA) of up to $60,000 with KLJ for communications and outreach tied to updated floodplain mapping. The county plans to use $30,000 carried over from the prior fiscal year and $30,000 from the current sustainment budget to fund the work.
County staff said the outreach is needed because draft mapping based on newer LiDAR elevation data, structure surveys and modern hydrologic and hydraulic modeling will both remove some properties from the Special Flood Hazard Area and add others. “We've seen the preliminary or the draft data,” the staff member said. “There'll be a number of properties removed in the special flood hazard area … as well as a number of properties that are gonna be identified as being within the special flood hazard area.”
Staff described KLJ's role as expanding planned workshops, helping design at least three additional community workshops in places the county identified (including Lolo, Clinton and Fidgetown), drafting FAQs and social‑media messaging, and preparing display materials so staff can answer public questions. Staff said the state DNRC floodplain viewer will host the maps once the mapping authority releases them, and that the county posts links on its “Missoula County voice” page after DNRC makes the maps available.
Timeline discussed at the meeting said draft maps could appear in summer, with outreach and an appeals period to follow. Staff noted FEMA adoption for insurance purposes typically follows later and estimated FEMA adoption in 2026 to 2027, while county regulatory adoption could occur earlier if commissioners choose. “Regulations can happen before the insurance,” a commissioner said; staff added that adopting maps as the county’s best available regulatory information is a local decision, not a federal requirement.
A motion to approve the PSA with KLJ was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.
The discussion also noted that the KLJ contract uses existing budgeted funds only; no new money was requested. Staff emphasized the county would likely wait until outreach and the appeals period are complete before bringing a draft regulatory adoption forward, with an earliest realistic adoption window discussed as winter to spring 2026.
