German Flatts to respond to FEMA letter

Sep. 23--MOHAWK -- The German Flatts town board discussed how to respond to letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding the National Flood Insurance Program during a meeting Wednesday.

Town Supervisor Peter Rovazzi suggested the letter be removed from the website because some of the instances of non-compliance under the program have been resolved while others "are factually not supported."

Councilman Dennis Mower did not want to see the letter taken down, but said Rovazzi should respond to FEMA soon. "We've got until the end of the month or we lose FEMA," he said.

The letter, dated July 3, states FEMA, Region II, notified the town in December that there are instances of non-compliance in the town under the National Flood Insurance Program. It outlined a half dozen potential violations and requested a corrective action plan. No response was received, according to the letter.

The July letter notes that in accordance with the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, communities that participate in the flood insurance program "must adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations that meet minimum NFIP criteria. Meeting these criteria makes communities more resistant to the damaging effects of flooding on lives, property and local prosperity."

If enforcement problems are not resolved, a community could be placed on NFIP probation until program deficiencies are corrected, it said. While flood insurance coverage would still be available, a $50 probation surcharge would be added to the premium for each NFIP flood policy written or renewed in the community for at least a year. If the town does not take appropriate measures, it could be suspended from the NFIP and federally backed flood insurance would not be available until the town was reinstated.

Most of the problems that could be identified have been addressed, said Rovazzi. Others are not specific and some appear to be unfounded.

Mower said Rovazzi should write to FEMA. "We need to at least reply to the letter," he said.

The FEMA letter states that several properties along state Route 168 had large piles of firewood and/or logs stored by the side of the creek and are unsecured. It also says small sheds, decks and stream crossing bridges were observed by a tributary to Steele Creek along Spinnerville Gulf Road.

The legal case involving the Creekside Mobile Home Park and the placement of trailers in other locations were among the items noted in the letter.

Codes

Getting abandoned properties cleaned up is not getting any easier, according to town Codes Officer Tony Klimek.

He told the board during Wednesday's meeting that in some cases banks are not taking title to properties in foreclosure because, under New York state law, if they own a property they are required to maintain it.

Even if a bank holds a mortgage, it could be sold to another mortgage holder, making it difficult to track. "The mortgage holder could be in Arizona or Oklahoma and God help you find out who it is," he said.

One thing Klimek does plan to do is talk to Town Attorney Karl Manne about setting up a procedure under local law by which the town can hire someone to mow unkempt lawns and add the cost of mowing as a lien on the owners' taxes. The owner would receive notification first, he said.

In other business

The board voted to waive the town's portion of the marriage license fee for active duty military personnel. The state has decided to waive its share of the $40 fee. The village share is $17.50. Town Clerk Pam Jones said there are usually about three or four marriage licenses a year issued to active duty military personnel. So far this year, there has been only one.

The town is looking into upgrading its website and making it more mobile friendly. Councilman John Brewer said he would contact the person who submitted a proposal to request additional details.

The town must recalibrate the water meters in Manion Heights, according to Rovazzi. Town officials plan to seek information on the best way to go about this.

A community center monitor fee was set at $15 an hour.

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