FLOOD03024

• County: Statewide
• Community: State
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Addressing Your Community's Flood Problems - A Guide for Elected Officials
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Prepared For: Assn. Of State Floodplain Managers
• Prepared By: Floodplain Management Group
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

RESOURCES You CAN USE TO
COPE wrm FLOODING

"The way flooding has been handled in the past has been too costly and repetitive.
Money from higher levels of government is going to be less accessible so therefore,
we must work together and come up with proactive solutions." - Beverly Anderson,
Mayor, Darlington, Wisconsin

Your community's flood problems and its other needs are

unique. Only you can know how much and what kind of
financial, technical, and personnel support will be needed

to minimize disruption from flooding and manage your
floodplains to meet other community goals. However,
whatever you do, it will likely require

(I) allocation or reallocation of local

resources, (2) careful administration

and continuing public support for

their use, (3) outside sources of

assistance, and (4) learning from

other communities' experience.

LOCAL RESOURCES As an elected offi-

cia!, you have the authority and responsibility to

allocate community resources among competing interests

and needs for the overall benefit of your constituents.

When it comes to dealing \vith your community's flood
problems, this includes identifying sources of local sup-
port of all kinds. Assess your resources. Do not overlook
unusual sources of expertise or personnel, like volunteer

groups, retired citizens, students, and business or profes-

sional organizations.

Among the possibilities are the following.

EXISTING OPERATIONS Your present staff may be able

to carry out a number of measures including drafting ordi-
nance provisions, preparing public information programs,
and providing advice to floodplain residents.

SPECIFIC PROJECTS OR BUDGET ITEMS More exten-

sive efforts, such as clearing debris and

other obstructions from the commllllity's

streams and other water-courses

and restoring them to their natural

condition, may require a special

budget item. Or you may need to

organize a community-\-vide effort

for volunteer assistance.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING (BOND ISSUE,
SPECIAL ASSESSMENT, SPECIAL SER\'lCE DISTRICT, ETC.)

Larger projects, such as establishment or improvement of

a local flood warning and response system, may require

creating frmding arrangements like a special assessment,

so that beneficiaries contribute proportionally to the cost.

Appropriate resources should be allocated or reallo-

cated to carry out selected measures within a designated
time frame. ]t may take several years to accomplish some

tasks, either because of their complexity or because only

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