Public hearing on flood damage prevention ordinance scheduled Tuesday
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 12, 2018 9:25 PM
Wayne County property owners will have the opportunity Tuesday morning to comment on proposed revisions to the county's flood damage prevention ordinance.
A public hearing on the changes will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
The meeting gets underway with an agenda briefing at 8 a.m. followed by the formal session at 9 a.m. Both will be held in the commissioners' meeting room.
The county has until June 20 to enact the ordinance or property owners will no longer be able to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
All property owners, a total of about 500, who will be affected by the ordinance, were notified of the public hearing by first class mail.
One of the changes clarifies that all new electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, air conditioning equipment and other service equipment in a floodplain must be located at least 2 feet above the base flood level.
An alternative is that the equipment be designed and installed to prevent water from entering or accumulating in the components during a flood.
These include, but are not limited to, HVAC equipment, water softener units, bath/kitchen fixtures, ductwork, electric/gas meter panels/boxes, utility/cable boxes, water heaters and electric outlets/switches.
The ordinance also addresses what is considered to be a temporary recreational vehicle in a flood zone as defined established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
To be considered temporary a recreational vehicle has to be on site for less than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and ready for highway use.
If the tongue and tires have been removed and the vehicle underpinned, it is considered permanent and has to be elevated and must meet all the requirements for new construction.
The changes also address underground tanks in a flood hazard area.
It requires that the tanks be anchored to "prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads during conditions of the design flood, including the effects of buoyancy assuming the tank is empty."
Also, aboveground tanks in flood hazard areas must be elevated to or above the regulatory flood protection elevation "on a supporting structure that is designed to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement during conditions of the design flood."
Tank inlets, fill openings, outlets and vents must be at or above the regulatory flood protection elevation or fitted with covers designed to prevent the inflow of floodwater or outflow of the contents of the tanks during a flood.
The tanks also must be anchored "to prevent lateral movement resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads, including the effects of buoyancy" during flood conditions.
The proposed ordinance also includes a conversion agreement so that when someone elevates a home they have to sign an agreement not to convert the lower level into living space.
Violation of the provisions in the ordinance or failure to comply with any of its requirements, including violation of conditions and safeguards established in connection with grants of variance or special exceptions, would constitute a Class I misdemeanor.
Any person who violates the ordinance or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both.
Each day a violation continues is considered a separate offense.
In other business Tuesday, commissioners will consider motions to:
• Approve a proclamation for EMS Week.
• Approve disruptive behavior policy revisions for the Wayne County Public Library.
• Approve holding a public hearing at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, on the county's proposed budget for fiscal year 2018-19.
• Award the contract for inmate food services for the Wayne County detention center to Trinity Service, the lowest responsible bidder.
Commissioners also will convene at 9:30 a.m. as the board of adjustment to hold a public hearing on a special use permit sought by Strata Solar for its Cookstown Solar Farm, 27455 Stoney Creek Road.
Under county ordinances solar facilities are considered special uses in all areas of the county covered by the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base airspace control surfaces.
That requires approval of a special use permit by the board of adjustment.
Public comments will start at 9:05 a.m. Speakers will have four minutes to comment on their topic of choice.
Items on the consent agenda include: budget amendments; a motion to appoint county employees Berry Gray, Julio Garrido and Anthony Cape as review officers for the Wayne County Planning Department; a motion for the May 15 meeting to include a recess for budget work sessions at 9 a.m. on May 30 and at 10 a.m. May 31; and a motion to petition the state Department of Transportation to add streets in the Canterbury Village subdivision to the state maintenance system.