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County staff weigh dissolving 30‑year floodplain advisory board as new Skunk River maps arrive
Summary
Southeast Regional Planning Commission staff told supervisors that the Des Moines County floodplain advisory board — created by county resolution and meeting infrequently in recent years — may be dissolved or retooled because map updates and appeals procedures now provide other review mechanisms; supervisors asked staff to bring ordinance text changes and map updates directly to the board this spring.
Southeast Regional Planning Commission staff briefed the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17 about updated floodplain maps for the southern county along the Skunk River and the role of the county’s Floodplain Advisory Board.
Zach James, assistant director, and senior planner Jared Lasser explained that the advisory board was created by a board resolution after the 1993 flood and is not established by ordinance; staff noted the board has met infrequently — roughly five times since 2011 — and that FEMA/DNR map updates and a defined appeals process have reduced the advisory board’s active workload.
"This is a voluntary creation of the board of supervisors," James said, noting that other counties typically incorporate floodplain considerations into zoning commissions rather than maintain a standalone advisory board. Staff told supervisors that if the advisory body provides little regular value it could be dissolved, its duties folded into staff processes, or its membership and outreach could be revitalized to make it more proactive.
Supervisors discussed the tradeoffs. Some longtime advisory members told the board that periodic meetings did provide value when map changes required local input; others — and several supervisors — said most counties successfully administer floodplain rules without a separate advisory board and that the county could rely on the existing appeals and notification processes.
The board directed staff to prepare ordinance-text changes recommended by DNR and to present the upcoming map updates directly to the board this spring. Staff also offered to reappoint willing advisory-board members if the board chooses to retain the body, but supervisors asked staff to draft a resolution to dissolve the advisory board as a possible option so the board could act this spring if it wished.
What’s next: Staff will identify minor ordinance revisions and return with a work session or resolution that either reconstitutes the advisory board with clearer duties or dissolves it and routes map-appeal procedures through existing channels.
Sources: Zach James (Southeast Regional Planning Commission), Jared Lasser (senior planner), and in-meeting commentary by county supervisors and longtime advisory-board members.
