Planning commission updates floodplain zoning ordinance to match county FEMA study; no changes in Verona maps

The Verona Planning Commission on March 3, 2025 approved a zoning text amendment to repeal and recreate Title 13, Chapter 2 (the city's floodplain zoning ordinance) to reflect revisions in the Dane County FEMA flood insurance study and to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements.

Planning Department staff member Mr. Severson said the countywide FEMA study was revised and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources asked cities to update local floodplain zoning ordinances accordingly. Severson said city staff and the city engineer reviewed the draft to ensure alignment with the city code and local practices and that the new ordinance largely follows the previous version while updating references and the study date.

Staff indicated that the updated county study altered some floodplain maps in other parts of the county, chiefly Monona, but that the maps for Verona itself were not changed. Alder Posey asked whether any existing residential or commercial properties in Verona would be impacted; staff replied that many Verona properties contain some floodplain on their parcels but that the ordinance language and setback requirements are not changing in a way that would newly affect Verona residents.

The commission opened a public hearing on the amendment at 6:34 p.m., received no public comment, and closed the hearing at 6:35 p.m. Commissioner Powers moved to approve the zoning text amendment and Commissioner Touche seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote.