Jackson County weighs cluster-based FEMA map fixes to shave flood insurance costs

Jackson County officials discussed a proposal to use consultant work and grant funds to pursue targeted FEMA map corrections and clustered Letters of Map Adjustment (LOMA) in areas where elevation data suggests properties are not actually in the floodplain.

"Our community rating system is at a 7. We'd like to get it at 6," said speaker 2, summarizing the county's stated goal of earning additional CRS points to lower flood-insurance rates for residents. Commissioners and planning commissioners noted that earning the extra point would require several regulatory and documentation improvements in the Land Development Ordinance and related programs.

Several participants favored identifying clusters of parcels that could be evaluated together to limit per-property cost, while others warned that picking clusters and paying for some property owners' LOMAs could be perceived as inequitable. Committee member (S4) raised the equity concern directly: "That seems kind of, like, not appropriate," and questioned whether the county should pay for map amendments for some residents but not others.

Staff and commissioners agreed to ask 3J Consulting to scope options and costs — including using existing elevation datasets or county-funded flyovers — and to return with defensible criteria for which properties, if any, the county would prioritize for cluster LOMA work. The discussion emphasized distinguishing projects that are legal and technically defensible from those that might create political fairness concerns.

Next steps: staff will task 3J Consulting to present cost estimates and selection criteria for clustered mapping/LOMA work and will report back to the planning commission and board for further direction.