Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Floodplain Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bardstown adopts amendments to Flood Damage Prevention ordinance, adds 2-foot freeboard and lengthens improvement window
Summary
The Bardstown City Council on Aug. 26, 2025 adopted Ordinance B2025-11 amending Chapter 154 to require lowest floors be elevated two feet above base flood elevation and to change the "substantial improvement" period from one year to five years; the vote was 6-0.
The Bardstown City Council adopted Ordinance B2025-11 on Aug. 26, 2025, amending Chapter 154 of the Code of Ordinances to revise local floodplain requirements.
City Attorney Audrey Haydon-Blackmon read the ordinance summary at the start of the second reading. The revisions change the defined time period for a "substantial improvement" from one year to five years and require that "all structures must have their lowest floor elevated a minimum of two (2) feet above the base flood elevation," providing two feet of freeboard.
Councilman Roland E. Williams moved to adopt Ordinance B2025-11; Councilwoman Betty Hart seconded. The mayor called the roll: Councilman Joe Buckman — Aye; Councilman David Dones — Aye; Councilwoman Betty Hart — Aye; Councilman Franklin Hibbs IV — Aye; Councilman Bill Sheckles — Aye; Councilman Roland E. Williams — Aye. Mayor J. Richard Heaton declared Ordinance No. B2025-11 adopted.
Why it matters: the changes raise the elevation standard for buildings in flood-prone areas and lengthen the look-back period for calculating "substantial improvement," which can affect how property owners and insurers assess required upgrades after renovations. The ordinance text as read at the meeting does not specify an effective date.
The council did not record any amendments to the language at the meeting. The ordinance was passed unanimously and no further action was announced during the session.
