The City of Sandy Springs will discuss its options for updating the city’s flood maps during a work session on Dec. 20 at City Hall. The work session will follow a brief City Council meeting, at 6 p.m. There are no scheduled votes on the issue during this meeting.
The City Council has been grappling with the issue of whether or not to authorize updates of the maps, which could require homeowners to purchase flood insurance and limit what they can do with their property. In 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began an update of the country’s flood insurance rate maps, known as FIRMs. The city recently held two public meetings to educate homeowners about the issue. According to the Georgia Department of Natural resources, a 90-day public appeal process was to have started in December after which the City Council will have six months to adopt the new maps. If the city does not adopt the maps, it will be removed from the national flood insurance program which means residents with flood insurance policies would be unable to renew them.
According to documents made available by the city, the council will have the option to direct FEMA to designate areas as either Zone A or Zone X on the FIRMs. Zone A properties would require insurance for homes purchased with federally-backed loans and could reduce property values. Zone X would give homeowners the option of whether to purchase flood insurance at lower premiums, but the city would have no way to make sure property owners know about their home’s location within a flood plain.
