Planning Commission recommends draft floodplain ordinance to City Council after DNR sign-off

The Brainerd Planning Commission on June 17 voted to recommend a draft floodplain ordinance to the Brainerd City Council after a brief public hearing and staff presentation. The commission opened the hearing at about 6:03 p.m., heard no public testimony and then approved a motion to forward the ordinance for council consideration.

Nick, a city staff member, summarized the draft ordinance and its purpose, saying the regulation "is intended to promote public health, safety, and general welfare by minimizing [flood] losses and disruptions" and to "preserve the natural characteristics and functions of watercourses and floodplains." He told the commission the draft had been reviewed by the commission at its May 20 meeting and that staff had incorporated edits marked in red following conversations with the state Department of Natural Resources. He also stated the DNR issued a conditional approval on June 9 contingent on those redlined changes.

With no members of the public signed up to speak, Commissioner Duval moved "to adopt and recommend the adoption of the ordinance as presented"; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The commission did not read a roll-call vote aloud during the motion, but six commissioners had been recorded present at roll call earlier in the meeting. The ordinance will be transmitted to the City Council for its consideration.

The hearing and vote were procedural steps in a multi-stage process: the Planning Commissionrecommendation does not itself adopt the ordinance; final approval rests with the City Council. The next scheduled procedural step is the transmittal of the commissionrecommendation to council for its review and any further action.