Halifax County adopts FEMA map updates, approves local grant and grant-plan funding and moves forward on regional projects

Halifax County commissioners on Monday adopted changes to the county—s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to accept updated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance rate maps and approved several funding and intergovernmental actions affecting social services, community grants and regional infrastructure.

The board voted to adopt ordinance amendments that incorporate FEMA—s revised flood insurance rate maps and the accompanying flood insurance study for 56 panels identified in the agency—s review. Chris Rountree, Planning and Development Service director, told commissioners the map updates and ordinance revisions are required to keep the county from being suspended from the National Flood Insurance Program. "The purpose of this ordinance is to, of course, promote health, safety, and welfare of the general public and help protect, public and private losses due to flood conditions," Rountree said.

The changes, Rountree said, are limited to specified sections of chapter 34 of the county code and reflect FEMA—s most recent panel updates. The board opened a legislative hearing as required and, after no public appeals were reported, adopted the ordinance amendments.

The ordinance amendments identified in the materials provided to commissioners were limited to sections 34-3, 34-31, 34-58, 34-81 and 34-82 and, according to staff, contained no significant panel shifts affecting homes in the county. Commissioners asked staff to confirm whether residential properties were affected; staff said the FEMA process produced mainly agricultural and stream-constrained areas and that no appeals were filed during the 90-day appeal window.

On funding and social services, Dana Hart Gardner, deputy director of Halifax County Department of Social Services, presented the Halifax County Home and Community Care Block Grant (HCCBG) funding plan and grant agreement for fiscal year 2025-26. Gardner said the Halifax County Council on Aging was notified of a prior-year allocation of $654,675 and that the HCCBG advisory committee recommended funding current providers listed in the county plan. "The funds for the block grant funding plan are contingent upon the balancing of the state budget," Gardner said. The board approved the funding plan and authorized county officials to sign…