CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou City Council voted on March 25 to table an ordinance that would amend flood hazard area regulations within the city, and will revisit the ordinance once they have a greater understanding of which areas in the city would be affected.
No public comment occurred on the matter during a public hearing portion of the discussion. However, councilors talked about the ordinance’s implications with Caribou Zoning Administrator Ken Murchison.
Murchison said the ordinance would help officials and residents respond to instances of flooding in compliance with current state and federal regulations.
“For instance,” Murchison said, “if you find that your home is in a flood zone and you’re looking to get a loan from the bank, you could get a registered surveyor to survey the land and if they prove that the lowest area of the house is above the floodplain, you’ll be much more likely to get a loan from the bank.”
According to Murchison, most of the changes are formatting updates on the city’s part. The ordinance itself is actually written by officials in the state’s floodplain program. He added that the city planning board has already reviewed and approved the text, and that the final step is to seek council approval.
Councilor Hugh Kirkpatrick asked Murchison if he knew how much of Caribou would be considered to be in a floodplain.
Though precise numbers are not available, Murchison said, “We don’t have a lot of floodplain areas in Caribou.”
He said he has never worked on a permit for anyone regarding a floodplain, but has received a number of calls from people who are concerned about their proximity to a floodplain and the insurance implications that this may have on their property.
“So we don’t know how many lots are affected?” Kirkpatrick asked.
Murchison said he and other officials could determine a number of impacted lots.
City Manager Dennis Marker said that maps and data produced by federal government organizations regarding floodplains are usually done at the 50,000- or 100,000-foot level. The ordinance would allow officials to hire a surveyor to make a more precise determination on a specific piece of property and to move forward regardless of what is written on any national floodplain maps.
Murchison added that the maps he and city officials use are from 1974, and they should be updated since the area seems to be experiencing higher risks of floods.
Mayor Mark Goughan asked Murchison if there are any changes in the proposed ordinance that concern him.
Murchison said no. “By and large, it’s just language updates,” he said.
Councilors voted to table adopting the ordinance until more precise information can be obtained related to any zones with flooding potential.
