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<br />Prince George's County, Maryland, established guidelines for its funding <br />program based on 100-year flood levels developed by the County, assuming a <br />fully developed watershed. The result is a higher flood protection level, i.e., <br />an extra margin of protection. Generally, if the building is subject to more <br />than 3 feet of flooding, acquisition or elevation are the usual options, If the <br />building is subject to less than 1 foot of flooding, only flood proofing is <br />considered. The County and the owner jointly decide the best solution for <br />flood depths of 1 to 3 feet <br /> <br />3.2 Funding Sources <br /> <br />Wanting to finance flood proofing projects is one thing; having the money to do it is quite <br />another, Communities may encounter one or two problems in devoting funds to flood <br />proofing: having adequate funds to start a new program, and/or having the legal authority to <br />spend the money on flood proofing. This section reviews the wide variety of funding <br />sources that have been used in communities around the country, The question of legal <br />authority is discussed in Section 3.5. <br /> <br />Property Taxes: Property taxes are the mainstay of most local governments, There are two <br />kinds of property taxes, general and special purpose. Most communities have a "general <br />corporate fund" or "general revenue fund" that may be used to finance many kinds of <br />activities, especially staff and administrative expenses. Frankfort, Kentucky; Rosemont, <br />Illinois; and Fairfax County, Virginia, identified this kind of fund as one of their sources for <br />the money. <br /> <br />A special purpose storm drainage property tax finances the program in Prince George's <br />County, Maryland. Revenue from this separate State-approved tax is deposited in a discrete <br />fund, Money from this fund may be spent only on storm drainage projects (including flood <br />proofing), Impact fees (see page 14) are also collected by the County and placed in this <br />fund. <br /> <br />King County, Washington, has a special County-wide property tax levy that goes into its <br />River Improvement Fund. It can be used for various river maintenance and flood protection <br />purposes, <br /> <br />Sales Tax: Some states authorize communities to levy sales taxes for special purposes, The <br />Economic Development Council of Kemah, Texas, is supported by a 0.5 percent sales tax. <br />The Council funds various community improvement activities including drainage projects, <br />flood plain acquisition and flood proofing, Using its home rule powers, Mount Prospect, <br />Illinois, levies a sales tax of 0,25 percent for flood and stormwater purposes. <br /> <br />Every five years, the citizens of Tulsa, Oklahoma, vote on extending a 1 percent sales tax, <br />Each referendum includes a list of projects to be financed by the bonds. The last one <br />included several flood control projects and specifically set aside $600,000 for flood proofing <br />and acquisition. (While the City found a source of funds, as noted on page 19, the City <br />Attorney later ruled that the funds could not be used on private property,) <br /> <br />-13- <br />