The Graham County Commissioners took the final steps to “boot” the floodplain ordinance enacted by their predecessors two years ago. The county will revert to an ordinance over thirty years old. The action was embraced and celebrated by approximately 100 citizens who showed up to the meeting to demand that the commissioners restore their property rights and values.
The new ordinance would require an investment of between $30,000 and $50,000 in preliminary engineering studies before construction could begin on most parcels. Furthermore, the ordinance devalued the typical floodplain parcel from $10,000 to $2500 per acre. Now property owners are only forbidden from developing lands 25 feet from streams. Over 400 parcels would be affected.
Commissioner Billy Holder, who led the fight against the ordinance before he was elected to the commission, told the crowd he would stay on the issue “today, tomorrow and every day” until the ordinance is completely gone.
In addition to concerns about “ruined” property, complaints were lodged that FEMA used insufficient data to develop its maps and attempted to paint coastal and mountain properties in the state with the same broad brush. The commissioners were quite aware their action would render the county ineligible for FEMA disaster funds, and its residents would become challenged in obtaining federal assistance with mortgages or flood insurance.
