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^.D * <br />Memorandum <br />Date:July 28.2004 <br />To:Mayor Peterson <br />City Council Members <br />City Administrator <br />Planning Commissioners <br />From:Melanie Curtis, City Planner <br />R£:FEMA Mandated update of the Floodplain and Wetlands Management <br />Ordinance <br />Due to recent reinterpretation of their regulations, the Federal Emergency Management <br />Agency (FEMA) has mandated changes in local floodplain ordinances. FEMA requires <br />that these changes are in effect in our community by September 2,2004. If we are unable <br />to adopt the newly drafted ordinance, a moratorium will be required in order to avoid <br />flood insurance policy eligibility problems for our residents who are affected by this <br />ordinance. Staff has been working with persomiel at the DNR to streamline this revision <br />process. On July 15, 2004, the DNR approved the draft ordinance. Attached you will <br />find a one-page summary of the mandated changes in the floodplain ordinance. The <br />complete draft ordinance is also attached for your review. <br />Our current Floodplain and Wetlands Management Ordinance is essentially two <br />ordinances in one. At the time they were combined this may have been a convenient <br />option, however new standards and regulations dictate that it is more appropriate to <br />designate separate ordinances for each of these overlay districts. The wetland portion of <br />the Floodplain and Wetlands Management Ordinance is outdated and staff has been <br />working in conjunction with our engineering consultant to develop a wetland ordinance <br />which addresses the goals and strategies identified within both the Community <br />Management Plan and Surface Water Management Plan and maintain conformance with <br />the Wetland Conservation Act of 1991 (WCA) and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed <br />District’s standards (MCWD). The one-page summary of the newly drafted wetlands <br />ordinance is attached, and the complete draft ordinance is also attached. <br />Timeline Goal <br />August 4“’ - PC Work Session - presentation & discussion <br />August 9'** - Council Meeting - presentation as information piece <fe discussion <br />August lb"* - Planning Commission - Public Hearing <br />August 23'** - Council Meeting-/ina/ approval