Lincoln County agrees to match commitment to secure DES floodplain funds; NRCS selects seven landowners for aid

Lincoln County commissioners on May 6 approved a one‑page commitment letter so the county can qualify for a $50,000 grant offer from state emergency services (DES) to support planning and mitigation work tied to floodplain recovery.

Planning department staff told the board the DES award would be paid directly to the planning office to fund work on permitting, mitigation projects and related floodplain compliance tasks. The DES award requires a $10,000 match; staff said the match may be satisfied entirely with in‑kind contributions and that, if the award is issued quickly, DES might offset some or all of the match from excess resiliency funds.

“It's a great start,” planning staff said, while stressing the $50,000 would not be the county’s total need to catch up on floodplain work. The board moved, seconded and approved a motion directing the chair to sign a letter committing the county to provide the required match if the grant is awarded.

Why it matters: county planners have described the post‑flood workload as substantial; the DES funds are intended to help the county complete permitting and mitigation work that is a prerequisite for longer‑term recovery projects and for compliance with state floodplain requirements.

At the same meeting the planning office also updated commissioners on an NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) application the office assembled after the recent floods. Staff said 28 projects were initially identified as potentially eligible and that, after NRCS evaluation, seven landowners were selected to receive assistance under the program. The EWP program supports protective work such as riprap, bank stabilization and other measures to protect structures and is typically cost‑shared (staff described it as roughly a 75/25 split for project costs).

Planning staff said DES is acting as the program sponsor for the NRCS projects and will notify selected landowners. The county may be asked to help manage some projects if local sponsorship or logistical support is required; staff said they will seek additional funding and staffing so the county can support implementation.

Next steps: staff will prepare the commitment letter on county letterhead and seek the chair’s signature to secure the DES award. The planning office will continue outreach to the seven NRCS‑selected landowners and coordinate permitting and any required county sponsorship for project sites.

Sources: presentation and statements by county planning staff during the board meeting on May 6, 2026.