FEMA warns Spencer County to adopt floodplain ordinance by Oct. 16 or risk NFIP suspension

Spencer County Fiscal Court received a final notice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the county must adopt floodplain management measures meeting 44 CFR Section 60.3(c) by Oct. 16, 2025, or face suspension from the National Flood Insurance Program, which would bar new NFIP policies and renewals.

The notice, delivered to Judge Executive Scott Travis and read at the Sept. 15 meeting, urged the county to adopt an ordinance or measures that meet or exceed NFIP minimum requirements and said the state NFIP coordinator and FEMA regional staff stand ready to help. The letter, signed by Rachel Sears, director of FEMA’s Floodplain Management Division, specifically recommended communities may include language that automatically adopts FEMA’s most recent flood elevation data.

Why it matters: Suspension from the NFIP would make property owners in Spencer County ineligible for federally backed flood insurance, affecting mortgage and federal assistance eligibility for properties in Special Flood Hazard Areas. The FEMA letter said communities can regain eligibility only by enacting measures consistent with 44 CFR §60.3.

At the meeting, Judge Executive Scott Travis presented the FEMA correspondence and the Court discussed the notification but did not adopt any ordinance or take formal action. The county’s Floodplain Administrator, Julie Sweazy, is listed in the FEMA correspondence as the local contact for implementation details.

Next steps: FEMA and the Kentucky NFIP State Coordinator (Alex VanPelt, CFM) were cited as resources in the letter; the county must either adopt suitable ordinance language or confirm that its existing measures include automatic adoption of FEMA data before Oct. 16 to avoid suspension. The Court may consider a special meeting or add the item to an upcoming agenda for formal adoption and transmittal to state and FEMA offices.