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Baker County budget includes drone/LiDAR purchase and true off‑site backups for FEMA compliance
Summary
County staff told commissioners the proposed budget adds roughly $31,000 for a drone/LiDAR system and funds to move critical backups to a location more than 100 miles away, steps officials said would improve FEMA reimbursement and county GIS capability; commissioners pressed staff for a written protocol and staffing plan before budget adoption.
Baker County Board of County Commissioners members spent significant time discussing a proposed budget increase that county staff said covers three main items: moving to a geographically remote, third‑party off‑site backup location, a multi‑purpose drone platform with LiDAR for FEMA documentation and GIS work, and several smaller networking or licensing items.
County staff told commissioners the drone/LiDAR purchase — budgeted at roughly $31,000 — is aimed primarily at meeting FEMA documentation requirements and integrating high‑resolution terrain data into the county's geographic information system (GIS). “LiDAR is the gold standard as far as FEMA is concerned,” county staff said during the discussion, adding the system could be used for pre‑ and post‑storm mapping, floodplain mapping, stormwater modeling, trail management and search‑and‑rescue support.
The staff presentation said the…
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