Frostburg may cede city's flood plain permitting authority to Allegany County

Feb. 16--FROSTBURG -- During a work session Thursday, Frostburg's mayor and City Council members discussed a potential ordinance and resolution that would shift permitting authority to Allegany County regarding flood plain development.

The city signed on to the National Flood Insurance Program in 1979, which made the city responsible for flood plain administration within its corporate limits. With the Federal Emergency Management Agency publishing the Flood Insurance Study for Allegany County, Maryland and Incorporated Areas, dated for April 3, communities participating in the program are required to adopt regulations consistent with federal criteria.

Recently, Allegany County adopted flood plain regulations that meet NFIP requirements.

"The most recent thing that's happened in this process is that our very own planning commission has moved to recommend the proposed flood plain management ordinance and a resolution to you, the mayor and council," said L.J. Bennett, the city's community development director. "A similar action happened with the Allegany County planning commission as well."

Basically, this ordinance and resolution would let the county take over permitting should someone come to the city and want to build on floodplain areas.

"There's two parts to this. There's the ordinance, which (a) public hearing is scheduled for, and then there is the resolution," said Elizabeth Stahlman, the city's administrator. "The resolution is a joint resolution. We currently have one in place with the county and what this says is that if someone comes to the city of Frostburg and wants to build in the flood plain, the county, who has a certified flood plain manager, will handle that permitting process for us.

"We have very little flood plain in our city to begin with, and it's never happened in the eight years I've been here that anyone's actually gone through with building on the flood plain," she said. "There are some instances that it could happen, so that's what this joint resolution is, is giving that permitting authority over to the county, only in flood plain development."

Nina Forsythe, commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Water, asked what the benefits are of the move. Stahlman said the county has a worker who's familiar with the specific construction standards with Maryland Department of the Environment regarding flood plains.

Follow staff writer Brandon Glass on Twitter @Bglass13.

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