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<br /> <br />one and work in order. Communities with ongoing floodplain management efforts may <br /> <br /> <br />simply need to upgrade existing plans and regulations. <br /> <br />Step One: Set Policy <br /> <br />To begin a high risk area program, your community should evaluate existing plans <br /> <br />and regulations and decide whether additional measures are needed. An initial declaration <br /> <br /> <br />of intent to upgrade existing measures should be the first action. This intent is known as <br /> <br /> <br />a policy. <br /> <br />Policy expresses your government's commitment to reducing damage from high risk <br /> <br /> <br />flooding and provides the authority and guidance for mapping, regulation and other ac- <br /> <br />tivities, Policy can be thought of as an expression of political will. Elected leaders and <br /> <br /> <br />administrators want to get something done -- in this case save lives and reduce private <br /> <br />and public costs of flooding, Policy guidelines establish the form and content of a high <br /> <br /> <br />risk flood program: <br /> <br />Content. Is it a regulatory program or does it include acquisition, flood warnings <br /> <br /> <br />or other techniques? <br /> <br />Intergovernmental relationships. Is one agency or office given the lead over others? <br /> <br />Is coordination formal or informal? <br /> <br /> <br />Funding. Is there a constant allocation from general revenues? Are federal or state <br /> <br /> <br />grants needed? Can funds be raised from a permit application fee or through spe- <br /> <br /> <br />cial assessments? <br /> <br />Policy can take several forms: <br /> <br /> <br />-- Proclamations or orders by a chief executive; <br /> <br />n Resolutions of committees or councils; <br /> <br /> <br />-- Formal statements of agreement between government bodies or agencies; <br /> <br /> <br />-- Adoption of plans and regulations. <br /> <br /> <br />The policy-making process starts whenever any individual or group realizes that <br /> <br /> <br />there is a public problem and begins to take action. For example, a floodplain manager <br /> <br />may realize that sedimentation has decreased the capacity of an upstream reservoir and <br /> <br /> <br />that the dam could be overtopped. In addition to making sure that the dam is regularly <br /> <br /> <br />checked for safety, the manager may draft a policy statement for the city council recog- <br /> <br /> <br />nizing that the dam is unsafe. The statement may also suggest that the parks, civil defense <br /> <br /> <br />and planning departments cooperate with a neighborhood advisory council to prepare an <br /> <br />B-7 <br />