Planning Commission forwards updated Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance adding Rushville for local approvals

The Howard County Planning Commission voted to forward an updated Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to county commissioners and to the Rushville Town Council after a staff presentation explaining the FEMA‑driven changes.

Staff (Greg) said FEMA required the county to reorganize and rename its existing ordinance (previously titled for flood hazard areas) as the "Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance." He told the commission that the update did not remove existing protections, adjusted several definitions, and—most notably—adds the town of Rushville to the county's ordinance coverage. "The biggest thing was we we're adding uh the town of Rushville to our flood prevention ordinance," Greg said.

A commission member asked whether Rushville's inclusion would put the town into the county's Community Rating System (CRS) program or affect the county CRS score. Greg said he did not know and that staff would need to verify the CRS implications. After discussion, the commission moved and approved forwarding the ordinance by voice vote; the motion directs staff to present it to the Howard County Commissioners and then to the Rushville Town Council for their approval.

What happens next: Staff will submit the ordinance to the county commissioners and schedule presentation to the Rushville Town Council. The commission flagged the need to determine whether Town approval and any existing local practices could change Howard County's CRS standing; staff said that follow‑up is required.

Note on spellings and record details: the transcript contains variable spellings of town names (e.g., "Rushville," "Roucheville," "Roochville") and recordings of the same parcel address with differing compass directions; staff and clerks should confirm official spellings and the parcel's recorded street orientation before subsequent filings.