Whitefish poised to adopt new flood-plain maps

Sept. 21--Two public hearings on tonight's Whitefish City Council agenda deal with adopting new flood insurance rate maps for the city and amendments to Whitefish flood-plain regulations.

A new flood-plain map update project that began in 2011 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation recently was completed.

Areas studied in Whitefish included 1.6 miles of Cow Creek upstream from the confluence of the Whitefish River; 4 miles of Whitefish River from Montana 40 upstream to Spokane Avenue; and a refinement of Zone A in surrounding areas such as Lost Coon and Blanchard lakes and smaller tributaries.

Whitefish completed its draft maps and flood data two years ago, and postcards were sent to landowners within or adjacent to the study areas.

The preliminary revised digital flood insurance rate maps and a flood insurance study were released in April 2014, and again impacted landowners were notified and open house sessions were held to disseminate information.

The first hearing deals with proposed amendments to Whitefish flood-plain regulations. One proposed amendment adds a chapter that will allow the waiver of a flood-plain development permit for certain activities within the Whitefish Lake and Lakeshore Protection Zone. Another amendment includes a new appendix that lists the current effective flood insurance rate map panels and the study.

The second hearing will consider an ordinance adopting the new flood insurance rate maps for Whitefish.

A third hearing on the agenda will consider changing the name of Third Street west of State Park Road in Patton's Subdivision to Salmon Run. Over time, First Street in that area was renamed State Park Road, and Second Street was renamed Patton Lane to lessen confusion between the Whitefish Lake Golf Course area and established city streets in downtown.

The council will consider allowing annual inflationary increases for water and sewer rates. The increases would add about $4 per month to a typical residential customer, and would generate additional annual revenues of $132,000 for the water fund and $110,400 for the wastewater fund.

A resolution passed in 2013 enabled water and sewer rates to be automatically adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index for municipal utilities. It called for an annual 3 percent raise each Oct. 1 through 2016, corresponding with the city's service contract with North Valley Refuse.

But based on a Consumer Price Index report the inflationary rate increase should be 4.6 percent; that is what the council will consider.

Garbage collection services are proposed to go up 3 percent Oct. 1.

The meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. at the temporary City Hall, 1005 Baker Ave. A work session at 5:30 p.m. will deal with a management contract for the Stumptown Ice Den.

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Features editor Lynnette Hintze can be reached at 758-4421 or [email protected].

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