Sanford council votes to remove five park parcels from FEMA mitigation grant after projected $200,000 local cost

The Village of Sanford council voted unanimously Sept. 9 to remove five parcels from a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant after staff reported that keeping the parcels in the project could create noncompliance and an estimated ~$200,000 local cost.

Carl Hamann moved to remove the parcels from the FEMA grant and consider using State of Michigan flood‑recovery funds and reallocating local street and municipal funds to cover affected work; Trustee Leah Ziems seconded. The motion was approved with all five members recorded as voting in favor: Marcus Thrush, Don Whaley, Leah Ziems, Carl Hamann and Dolores Porte.

Officials said the FEMA Hazard Mitigation feedback concerned the Village Park’s permeable versus non‑permeable asphalt surfaces and that Michigan State Police Hazard Mitigation advised the Village that removing the five parcels would restore compliance. The council was told that keeping the parcels in the grant could require covering roughly $200,000 from local sources if the compliance issue could not be resolved.

Council directed staff to pursue alternatives, including applying State flood‑recovery funds and reallocating other village funding lines. The motion and vote were recorded during routine new and outstanding business; no additional amendments were proposed during the meeting.

The council will revisit related funding allocations and project scheduling at a future meeting after staff follow‑up and any further communications with FEMA and state mitigation officials.