City staff warns of imminent FEMA implementation choices and urban renewal item coming to commission

Near the end of the work session, city staff provided brief project updates and regulatory items for commissioners’ attention.

Staff said the planning office will soon hire a senior planner to increase capacity for the projects discussed during the session. The staff update then focused on recently released FEMA implementation options that were described in the presentation with the informal label “Pickums.” Staff said the city must choose among the options by Dec. 1 and implement the chosen approach by July 2025, and cautioned that more information about the specific requirements was still incoming.

An unidentified staff member described the options as including a community moratorium on development within mapped floodplains (which he said communities have generally rejected), adopting a FEMA model ordinance that must be adapted to each community, or a permit‑by‑permit approach requiring an individual study for each property. Staff noted the local flood map has not been fully updated since 1984 and that FEMA is now scheduling workshops and more guidance will follow; staff said they expect to bring the item back to the commission in November for review and then to City Council.

Staff also said the Urban Renewal Agency is considering increasing its maximum indebtedness (spending authority) and that the planning commission will review related materials to ensure changes are consistent with the comprehensive plan.

No formal action was taken; staff asked commissioners to expect follow‑up materials and upcoming agenda items.