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Stantec <br /> September 21,2015 <br /> File:193803123 <br /> Attention: Mike Ericson <br /> 188o Main Street <br /> Centerville,MN 55038 <br /> Dear Mike, <br /> Reference:Flood Insurance Rate Map(FIRM)Update <br /> This letter is to outline the process the city will need to undertake in response to the update of its Flood <br /> Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Over a year ago, former administrator, Dallas Larson, worked with the Rice <br /> Creek Watershed District(RCWD)and their consultant to provide the Federal Emergency Management <br /> Agency(FEMA)with information the RCWD had already gathered on Clearwater Creek(Anoka County Ditch <br /> #3). This information, being more detailed than what previous FEMA maps were based on, allowed a more <br /> accurate analysis of the floodplain and, in the end,a reduction in the flood elevation through much of the <br /> corridor. As such,a new FIRM is in the lengthy process of being issued. Paired with that re-issuance, is <br /> the requirement for the city to update their Floodplain Management Ordinance. This ordinance is in place <br /> as required by federal regulation in order to participate in the National Flood Insurance Plan (NFIP). The <br /> NFIP allows residents in your community to purchase below-market-rate flood insurance. Without the city's <br /> participation in this program, flood insurance could be cost prohibitive. <br /> In Minnesota, the Department of Natural Resources(DNR) assists cities in compliance with the federal <br /> regulations by supplying sample ordinances which incorporate their provisions. Minnesota DNR officials <br /> have taken the time to review the city's existing ordinances, but found them to be out of date to the point <br /> where the simplest method of compliance will be a complete replacement of the ordinance with a new one. <br /> Attached to this letter is the DNR's suggested ordinance. Their staff has made some minor modifications to <br /> fit Centerville's needs. The planning commission should review this sample ordinance, along with the <br /> guidance document which shows which parts of the ordinance can and cannot be modified. <br /> If the planning commission has major modifications they would like to see, we should send those back to <br /> the DNR for review. If not, the necessary public hearings and publications should be scheduled in order to <br /> adopt the new ordinance. The deadline for adoption and submission of these new ordinances to FEMA is <br /> December 16, 2015. <br /> Design with community in mind <br />