Council to consider amending floodplain rules after resident seeks to build on Lot 99

Jamie Brown and the lot owner pressed the council to allow construction on Lot 99 in the Cove subdivision after the property was placed in the 100‑year floodplain under an ordinance adopted in 2023. Brown told the council the lot "butts up to Jack Nolan" and that surrounding houses have no history of flooding; he asked the council to "remove 1 line" from the ordinance to allow building.

Hunter and the floodplain administrator explained the technical constraints: the lot is in FEMA Zone A and "does not have a detailed study performed," so the ordinance currently forbids developmental activity. The floodplain administrator said the city requires an elevation certificate and an engineer will set a required finished-floor elevation, and noted that FEMA guidelines and the National Flood Hazard Insurance Program impose rules the city must follow. As the administrator put it, "This property is located within the 100 year floodplain. It is zone a, which means it's not had a base flood elevation."

Council members discussed options including a variance process, a targeted amendment to remove the specific restrictive line in ordinance 23‑14, or readopting prior language with an emergency clause. Several members said a signed owner acknowledgment of risk and an engineer's elevation certificate could allow immediate action without exposing the city to liability. Staff agreed to draft a revised ordinance and return next month: "I can present next month a revised ordinance that would allow for this," a staff member said. The council set the item for follow-up at the September meeting and asked staff to produce a draft ordinance and the technical elevation documentation needed to evaluate a variance.