Italy board begins SEQR process to adopt FEMA-updated flood regulations

The Italy Town Board on Jan. 28 moved to begin the formal process to adopt updates to the town's Flood Damage Prevention Regulations tied to FEMA guidance. Councilperson Malcolm MacKenzie moved the initial resolution (No. 02-2025) and Councilperson Nicholas Baranowski seconded it; the board established itself as lead agency under 6 NYCRR §617 and instructed legal counsel to prepare Part I of a Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF).

Town Attorney Ed Brockman told the board the accelerated approach departs somewhat from the town's normal drafting timeline because FEMA has set adoption deadlines; the Local Law must be referred to the Yates County Planning Board and reviewed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) before final adoption. The board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed Local Law for March 11, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall to solicit public comment and allow the SEQR review to proceed.

The clerk's certification included the formal record of the resolution: "I, Deborah J Craig, Town Clerk for the Town of Italy ... do hereby certify that the before mentioned RESOLUTION 02 - 2025 was adopted at a meeting the of Town Board held on January 28, 2025." The board's action was unanimous on the roll call that adopted the resolution, enabling counsel to finalize the draft and submit it for the statutorily required reviews.

The next steps are procedural: counsel will complete the FEAF, the board will forward the proposed Local Law to the county planning board and NYSDEC, and the board will hold the March 11 hearing before any final adoption vote.