Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Bellevue approves floodplain protections

KART/PEAK director requests $1,000 contribution


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

New regulations meant to allow the floodplain to act naturally, to make it less expensive for homeowners to purchase flood insurance and to protect a riparian setback were approved by the Bellevue City Council last Thursday, July 13.

The new standards, drafted by the Planning and Zoning Commission and city employees in recent months, came in the form of several amendments to the city's existing floodplain ordinance.

Specifically, the City Council approved three separate changes to the floodplain ordinance, Bellevue Planning and Zoning Administrator Craig Eckles said.

The first change is meant to protect the floodplain's overall storage capacity during a flood event, Eckles said. The new language states that the natural storage capacity of the floodplain must be mitigated for any new construction there to go forward.

Essentially, there must be no net loss in terms of the total storage capacity of the floodplain, Eckles explained.

The second change approved by the council re-establishes what the minimum finished floor height can be in relation to the Big Wood River's established base flood elevation, he said.

Maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, indicate where the base flood elevation lies, Eckles said. Base flood elevation is the point floodwaters reach during 100-year flood events.

The change approved by City Council members raises the lowest finished floor height for buildings to 2 feet above base flood elevation.

"We were at base flood elevation," Eckles said.

Raising the minimum level for the lowest finished floor height should result in significantly lower flood insurance rates for Bellevue residents, he said. FEMA regulates all flood insurance rates.

"It's pretty good savings," he said. "It's about 50 percent savings."

For the final change to Bellevue's existing floodplain ordinance, council members approved new language that creates a 100-foot riparian setback area.

"It's a non-disturbance area," he said. "So we're not going in and tearing up anything along the river."

Eckles said the new language contains a provision that allows for some vegetation maintenance in the riparian setback area.

In other Bellevue City Council news:

• Council members discussed various franchising options that could potentially generate additional revenue. Specifically, they discussed the possibility of implementing franchises for garbage collection and cell phone towers within city limits.

To date, Bellevue officials haven't taken the step to authorize the franchising of garbage collection in the city.

From a financial standpoint, the city wouldn't benefit greatly from such a franchise, Bellevue City Administrator Tom Blanchard said.

Allowing a company to install cell phone towers on city property could be a beneficial move, Councilman Steve Fairbrother said. "I think it could be a significant revenue generator," he said.

Council members delayed making a final decision on various different franchising options pending further discussion.

• The interim director of the combined KART and PEAK bus systems, Terry Crawford, requested that the city contribute $1,000 to the valleywide bus system during its upcoming 2006-2007 fiscal year. Bellevue contributed $500 last year.

About 20 percent of the KART/PEAK bus system's total riders are Bellevue residents, Crawford pointed out. Still, he said that figure shouldn't necessarily represent what Bellevue should have to contribute financially for the bus system's operational expenses.

"We know you can't give a lot of money," he said.

In the end, council members decided to hold off on agreeing to any such request until discussing it further at a future Bellevue budget setting session.

• Council members also discussed the city's alcohol consumption policy as it relates to Bellevue city parks.

In the past, the city has allowed the owners of liquor licenses to "loan" their licenses to private citizens wishing to hold functions and drink alcohol in city parks.

However, this is in direct conflict with Bellevue liquor regulations, which only allow the holders of liquor licenses to cater events where alcohol is consumed in city parks, Councilwoman Beth Callister said.

"I think we've been misleading people on what they can and can't do," she said.

City Council members Thursday voted to continue discussing Bellevue's policy with an eye toward changing it at an upcoming meeting.




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