Clay County commissioners approve 2025 Local Mitigation Strategy to preserve disaster funding

At a special meeting Sept. 15, 2025, the Clay County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the 2025 Clay County Local Mitigation Strategy Plan and authorized the vice chair to sign the plan in the chair's absence so a signed resolution could be submitted to the state by 5 p.m. that day, a county staff member said.

The plan update, which Clay County has maintained for nearly 30 years, documents local disaster history, current mitigation projects and technical map updates and is required under federal hazard-mitigation rules to preserve eligibility for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds, the county staff member told commissioners. That requirement and the submission deadline were the primary reasons the commission convened the special meeting, the staff member said.

County staff said the updated plan includes roughly "80 plus" mitigation projects currently on the county list, including drainage improvements, culvert work and other infrastructure enhancements. The plan package also incorporated a 2024 future land-use map, recent evacuation-zone changes, FEMA flood-map information, an update on the Black Creek Basin and a seasonal drought outlook. Staff said the document clarified several definitions that have changed over time and is part of the public record.

Tyler Nolan, Planning Council representative with the North Eastport Regional Council, said the county's change in its Community Rating System, or CRS, score will benefit residents who buy National Flood Insurance Program policies. "Your Community Rating System score was 7, which gave a 15% reduction in the National Flood Insurance premium. Now you're at CRS 6, which is a 20% reduction," Nolan said.

Commissioners asked a small number of clarifying questions during the brief meeting. One commissioner noted that FEMA's next formal flood-map updates are on a 2027 schedule and therefore were not part of the 2025 plan; the staff member said projected 2027 changes are already visible on the county's DIS portal for residents to review.

A commissioner moved to approve the 2025 Local Mitigation Strategy Plan and to authorize the vice chair to sign in the chair's absence; another commissioner seconded the motion. All present commissioners voted in favor. The resolution, approved by voice vote, directs staff to submit the signed adoption to the state before the stated deadline so the county's mitigation-project pipeline and eligibility for HMGP funding are not jeopardized.

Following the vote, one commissioner thanked staff for organizing the special meeting and said the action was necessary to keep mitigation funding available to Clay County. With no further business the commission adjourned.