The City of Manhattan’s assistant director of community development says the community should no trouble maintaining a 20 percent flood insurance discounts for residents in areas with high flooding risk.
Chad Bunger says the discounts are provided through the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, a voluntary program that rewards communities that engage in floodplain management and flood mitigation projects. The city has to submit verification of what projects are ongoing each year to re-certify for the discount.
“We submit the information [every year], they come and inspect and/or seek a full-blown report every five years, but in between that we provide some sample letters and verifications that we’re doing this, that and the other just to verify that what we said last year we’re continuing to do it this year,” says Bunger. “Are we still doing notices that we said we were, are we still providing providing flood maps and information to properties — which we are.”
The rating system ranges from 1 to 9, with the lowest rating being 9. Every step toward a 1 rating adds an additional 5 percent discount for flood insurance customers in the community. Manhattan has been a part of the program for 5 years and reached a 6 rating in 2018, securing the 20 percent discount. According to city officials, Manhattan is one of three cities or counties in the state in that category.
Bunger says they reached that rating due to multiple floodplain management efforts last year that include a number of buyouts of properties that have sustained significant or repeated flood damage. Other projects that are planned and ongoing include the development of a comprehensive flood hazard mitigation plan that looks beyond just Wildcat Creek, maintenance or expansion of current flood warning systems as well as exploring new stormwater retention or detention policies.
“My hope is here probably within the next year or so we’re going to apply to up our category once again because of some other work we’re doing as well as the flood buyouts that we’ve been working on,” says Bunger. “So hopefully at least another 5 percent discount if not more.”
Bunger says the city is in a good position and anticipates they’ll have no issue retaining the current discount. The new national insurance rates will be released in May. For more information on the city’s efforts, visit their website.
Wildcat Creek Watershed Resiliency Plan citizen advisory committee
The Manhattan City Commission approved their appointments to the citizen advisory committee that will steer the Wildcat Creek Watershed Resiliency Plan at their Tuesday meeting.
The committee is made up of citizens appointed by both the City of Manhattan and the Board of Riley County Commissioners. The city’s appointees include three renal tenants, two homeowners, as well as a business and a rental property owner. City Commissioners Wynn Butler and Linda Morse will also serve as the commission’s representatives on the committee. Riley County appointed two rural residents, a farmer and a rural business owner.
City appointees:
- Janet Pearson – Homeowner
- Charles Henry – Homeowner
- Nick McNamara – Rental Tenant
- Matthew Scholten – Rental Tenant
- Gary Koons – Rental Tenant
- Jeff Connell, McCullough Development – Rental Property Owner
- Brad Fagan, Schwab Eaton – Business Property Owner
- Wynn Butler — Manhattan City Commission
- Linda Morse — Manhattan City Commission
County Appointees:
- Rural resident: Connie Satzler (resides in home on Wildcat Creek about
halfway to Keats) - Rural resident: James Sutton (resides in home at south end of Keats)
- Rural Business Owner: Charlie Pottorf (owner of Wildcat Tree Service
who owns property on Wildcat Creek at edge of City) - Farmer: Mike or Rebecca Mosier (farms along Wildcat Creek between
Manhattan and Keats)
City administration is also seeking a rental tenant and a homeowner from Redbud Estates to serve on the committee.
Commissioner Linda Morse says they feel an “urgency to get moving” on mitigating flood risks, and Bunger agrees. He says they’ll try to move pretty quickly to identify flood risks for homeowners, renters and business owners.
“Work towards figuring out ways we can better protect people,” Bunger says. “We’re going to start out doing non-structural things, so stuff that doesn’t require Tonka toys and building permits and those kind of things — more information pieces, how do people get warnings.”
The committee will also help create a list of physical projects that will help better protect the community from a future flood.
The committee’s first meeting will be on Thursday, February 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the Manhattan City Commission room.
