(A) Designation of the Floodplain Administrator. The Board of Trustees of the town designates the Mayor of the town as Floodplain Administrator to administer and implement the provisions of this chapter and other appropriate sections of National Flood Insurance Program regulations in 44 C.F.R. pertaining to floodplain management.
(B) Duties and responsibilities of the Floodplain Administrator. Duties and responsibilities of the Floodplain Administrator shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Become accredited by the OWRB in accordance with 82 O.S. §§ 1601 through 1618, as amended;
(2) Review permit applications to determine whether the proposed building sites, including the placement of manufactured homes, will be reasonably safe from flooding;
(3) Review, approve or deny all applications for development permits required by this chapter;
(4) Review proposed development to assure that all necessary permits have been obtained from those federal, state or local governmental agencies from which prior approval are required;
(5) Make the necessary interpretation where interpretation is needed as to the exact location of the boundaries of the areas of special flood hazards (for example, where there appears to be a conflict between a mapped boundary and actual field conditions);
(6) Notify, in riverine situations, adjacent communities and the OWRB prior to any alteration or relocation of a watercourse, and submit evidence of such notification to the FEMA;
(7) Assure that the flood carrying capacity within the altered or relocated portion of any watercourse is maintained;
(8) Shall require the developer/applicant to determine and provide the base flood elevation on a FEMA elevation certificate as well as other data as required in order to administer the provisions of § 10-9-5;
(9) When a floodway has not been designated, the Floodplain Administrator must require that no new construction, substantial improvements or other development (including fill) shall be permitted within Zone AE as delineated on the county FIRM, unless it is demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the proposed development, when combined with all other existing and anticipated development, will not increase the water surface elevation of the base flood more than one foot at any point within the town;
(10) After a disaster or other type of damage occurrence to structures in the town, determine if the residential and non-residential structures and manufactured homes have been substantially damaged, and enforce the substantial improvement requirement;
(11) Maintain a record of all actions involving an appeal from a decision of the Board of Trustees; and
(12) Maintain and hold open for public inspection all records pertaining to the provisions of this chapter.
(C) Permit procedures.
(1) An application for a development permit shall be presented to the Floodplain Administrator on forms furnished by him or her and may include, but not be limited to, plans in duplicate drawn to scale showing the location, dimensions and elevation of proposed landscape alterations, existing and proposed structures, including the placement of manufactured homes, and the location of the foregoing in relation to areas of special flood hazard. Additionally, the following information is required:
(a) Elevation in relation to mean sea level of the lowest floor (including basement) of all new and substantially improved structures; and
(b) Description of the extent to which any watercourse or natural drainage will be altered or relocated as a result of proposed development.
(2) Approval or denial of a development permit by the Floodplain Administrator shall be based on all of the provisions of this chapter and the following relevant factors:
(a) The danger to life and property due to flooding or erosion damage;
(b) The susceptibility of the proposed facility and its contents to flood damage and the effect of such damage on the individual owner;
(c) The danger that materials may be swept onto other lands to the injury of others;
(d) The compatibility of the proposed use with existing and anticipated development;
(e) The safety of access to the property in times of flood for ordinary and emergency vehicles;
(f) The costs of providing governmental services during and after flood conditions including maintenance and repair of streets and bridges, and public, utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical and water systems;
(g) The expected heights, velocity, duration, rate of rise and sediment transport of the floodwaters and the effects of wave action, if applicable, expected at the site;
(h) The necessity to the facility of a waterfront location, where applicable;
(I) The availability of alternative locations, not subject to flooding or erosion damage, for the proposed use; and
(j) The relationship of the proposed use to the comprehensive plan for that area.
(3) The Floodplain Administrator or Board of Trustees, as applicable, may approve certain development in Zones A or AE delineated on the county FIRM which increases the water surface elevation of the base flood by more than one foot, provided that the applicant for the development permit in that case first complies with 44 C.F.R. § 65.12.
(D) Variances.
(1) General provisions.
(a) The Board of Trustees of the town may grant variances for uses which do not satisfy the requirements of the State Floodplain Management Act or this chapter, if the applicant for the variance presents adequate proof that:
1. Compliance with this chapter will result in an arbitrary and unreasonable taking of property without sufficient benefit or advantage to the people; and
2. Satisfies the pertinent provisions of this division (D). However, no variance shall be granted where the effect of the variance will be to permit the continuance of a condition which unreasonably creates flooding hazards.
(b) Any variance so granted shall not be construed as to relieve any person who receives it from any liability imposed by the State Floodplain Management Act or by other laws of the state.
(c) In no case shall variances be effective for a period longer than 20 years.
(d) Any person seeking a variance shall file a petition with the Board of Trustees, accompanied by a filing fee of $25.
(e) Variances may be issued for new construction and substantial improvements to be erected on a lot of one-half acre or less in size contiguous to and surrounded by lots with existing structures constructed below the base flood level, providing the relevant factors in division (C)(2) above and provisions of this division (D) have been fully considered. As the lot size increases beyond the one-half acre, the technical justification required for issuing the variance increases.
(f) Any person seeking a variance to build a structure below the base flood elevation will be issued a notice signed by the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees which states that:
1. The cost of flood insurance will be commensurate with the increased risk resulting from permitting the structure to be built lower than the base flood elevation; and
2. Such construction below the base flood level increases risks to life and property.
(g) At such time as the Board of Trustees deems the petition ready for notification to the public, the Board of Trustees shall schedule a hearing and direct the applicant to publish notice thereof in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least 30 days prior to the hearing.
(h) The Board of Trustees shall conduct the hearing and make determinations in accordance with the applicable provisions of this division (D). The Board of Trustees shall exercise wide discretion in weighing the equities involved and the advantages and disadvantages to the applicant and to the public at large when determining whether the variance shall be granted.
(I) Variances shall only be issued upon:
1. A showing of good and sufficient cause;
2. A determination that failure to grant the variance would result in exceptional hardship to the applicant;
3. A determination that the granting of a variance will not result in increased flood heights, additional threats to public safety, extraordinary public expense, create nuisances, cause fraud on or victimization of the public, or conflict with existing local laws, regulations or ordinances; and
4. A determination that the variance is the minimum necessary, considering the flood hazard, to afford relief.
(j) Upon consideration of the factors stated in this division (D) and the intent of this chapter, the Board of Trustees may attach such conditions to the granting of a variance as it deems necessary to further the purposes and objectives stated in § 10-9-1(C).
(k) The Floodplain Administrator shall maintain a record of all variance actions, including justification for their issuance; and a copy of any variance issued by the Floodplain Board shall be sent by the Floodplain Administrator to the OWRB and FEMA within 15 days after issuance of the variance,
(2) Special provisions.
(a) Variances may be issued for the reconstruction, rehabilitation or restoration of structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the State Inventory of Historic Places, without regard to the procedures set forth in the remainder of this chapter.
(b) Variances shall not be issued within any designated floodway if any increase in flood levels during the base flood discharge would result.
(c) Variances may be issued for the repair or rehabilitation of historic structures upon a determination that the proposed repair or rehabilitation will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a historic structure and the variance is the minimum necessary to preserve the historic character and design of the structure.
(d) Variances may be issued for new construction and substantial improvements and for other development necessary for the conduct of a functionally dependent use provided that:
1. The criteria of divisions (D)(1)(e), (D)(1)(I), (D)(2)(b) and (D)(2)(c) above are met; and
2. The structure or other development is protected by methods that minimize flood damages during the base flood and create no additional threats to public safety.
(Ord. 12-208, passed 6-4-2012)