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East Dundee adopts updated floodplain management ordinance to maintain FEMA compliance
Summary
The Village of East Dundee board adopted changes to its floodplain code to comply with FEMA, including a 10-year reset of the 50% cumulative improvement cap and a separation of substantial damage and improvement criteria; trustees said the changes protect both homeowners and the community.
The Village of East Dundee board voted on Feb. 2 to adopt an amended floodplain management ordinance intended to keep village regulations compliant with Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements.
Staff told the board they received a letter indicating the village’s existing floodplain ordinance required updating. During discussion, staff and trustees described key revisions: properties with a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) remain exempt from the cumulative cap; the ordinance separates substantial-damage and substantial-improvement calculations so that improvements do not prematurely push a property over a damage threshold; and the previous 50% cumulative cap on rehabilitation spending in floodplain properties will reset every 10 years.
"That 50% cumulative cap that caused me to be anxious, that resets every 10 years," a trustee said, describing how the reset will help homeowners maintain and sell their properties without being blocked by the old lifetime cap. Another trustee explained the separation of the damage and improvement clauses reduces the risk that ordinary improvements (roof, siding, windows) would inadvertently trigger substantial-damage thresholds after unrelated incidents such as hail.
Trustees thanked staff for working with neighbors and the planning commission to refine the language. The ordinance was then put to a vote and approved.
The board framed the ordinance as both a homeowner-protection measure and a broader community-value issue: trustees noted that if floodplain homes were allowed to deteriorate, it could depress property values broadly.
Next steps: the ordinance will be codified as amended; staff and trustees said they will continue to coordinate with homeowners and affected parties on implementation details.
