Greene County commissioners plan DNR review as they consider replacing floodplain ordinance

Chair opened discussion of a proposed flood damage prevention ordinance the board has circulated and said the surveyor was invited but did not attend. "We have a meeting next Tuesday with the DNR," the chair said, asking staff to continue work on implementation and public notice.

County attorney Marvin reminded the board that the template circulated to commissioners was developed with DNR input and had received EPA approval, meaning any local changes likely will need DNR review. "Because that's approved at the EPA level already, we don't have the latitude to come in and do just anything to it without going through an approval process," Marvin said.

Commissioners said the county's existing floodplain ordinance has been largely ignored and urged more outreach before adopting a replacement. One commissioner said the effort should involve the assessor, health department and surveyor to confirm whether properties are in a floodplain and to establish enforcement steps given the absence of county zoning.

Board members agreed to advertise the proposed ordinance widely and solicit feedback from realtors, insurance companies and financial institutions because those groups may be directly affected and because lenders need accurate floodplain information when underwriting mortgages.

The board set a follow-up meeting with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for one week from the meeting to discuss how the template could be implemented locally and to identify the approvals and notice the county will need to follow. The commission added the ordinance to a future agenda for further consideration after the DNR meeting.

The discussion closed with staff direction to prepare outreach materials and to return with clarifications on enforcement and administrative steps required to implement the DNR/EPA-approved template.