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Saint Cloud outlines floodplain work, CRS class 5 status and watershed plan need
Summary
City floodplain manager reported Saint Cloud participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and is a Class 5 community in FEMA's Community Rating System, which yields a 25% discount on flood insurance; staff recommended a watershed master plan to pursue a Class 4 rating.
At the start of storm season, city staff briefed the Saint Cloud City Council on floodplain management, saying the city participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and has maintained a Community Rating System, or CRS, Class 5 designation since October 2022.
"At a Class 5, city residents qualify for a 25% discount on their flood insurance policies," Michelle Acosta, the city's CRS coordinator, told council. She said the program's earned discounts translate to an average citywide annual savings of about $115,000.
Leanne Tomano, the city's floodplain manager, said about 4,900 acres — roughly 24% of Saint Cloud — lie in mapped flood-prone areas, and nearly 1,800 buildings are located there. Much of the city's undeveloped land and joint-planning area is in the flood plain, Tomano said, and the city enforces the minimum National Flood Insurance Program building standards.
Tomano said Saint Cloud is "almost there" to reach a Class 4 CRS rating but still needs a citywide watershed master plan and several minor mitigation steps. "If the city were interested in moving towards being a Class 4 community, we would actually already be set up for success with the exception of a citywide watershed master plan," she said.
City staff also said they have submitted the annual CRS recertification, are preparing for a FEMA five-year audit, and are updating the city's vulnerability assessment and adaptation action plan. An improved interactive city flood map is due to be publicly launched this summer, staff said.
Council members thanked staff and asked staff to return with proposed next steps and cost estimates for the watershed master plan and other mitigation tasks that would support a Class 4 application.
