County Board Decisions: Shelter Grant, Traffic Service Bids, Flood Plan

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners made the following discussions and decisions during their open session meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4. A video recording of the meeting can be viewed on the county’s website here. 

Presentation of the Emergency Shelter Grant

The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the use of a $28,000 emergency solutions grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be used through the Human Services Programs of Carroll County for the Homeless Family Intact Shelter. 

The intact shelter offers homeless families a place to stay together, offering resources and tools to address the causes of homelessness and ensure stability at the end of the maximum 12-week stay. 

The shelter served 22 families in 2011, including 75 individuals, with 18 families exiting the shelter during the year.

Carroll County has already allocated $69,347 to contribute towards the cost of running the shelter for 2012.

Bid Approval for Traffic and Transportation Engineering Services

The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the bids of three firms to be used for traffic and transportation engineering services. The firms can be used by the county as well as by developers for county projects.

Carroll County has previously used all three of the firms selected by the Carroll County Bureau of Purchasing for prior projects. After receiving 14 bids, the highest ranked firms were Whitney, Bailey Cox & Magnani of Baltimore, Wallace, Montgomery & Assoc of Towson, and Sabra Wang & Assoc of Baltimore. 

Revised Flood Insurance Rate Map Discussion

The Board was briefed by Department of Land Use, Planning, and Development on the upcoming changes to the flood insurance maps.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is in the process of issuing Revised Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Carroll County. The FEMA official process of revising the maps will begin this month with the start of the 90-day appeal period.

The Flood Insurance Rate Map is used by the lending industry for insurance purposes and by the County for regulatory purposes. The FIRM is illustrates potential flood risk.

The Flood Insurance Rate Map that is currently in effect for the unincorporated areas of Carroll County is dated August 7, 1981.

The revised Map use updated topographic, hydrologic and hydraulic data and is therefore far more accurate in conveying the flood risk.

The Bureau of Resource Management will be sending out letters to all affected property owners prior to the start of the 90- day appeal period. 

Those affected by the changes are mostly older structures that pre-date any flood plan regulation, according to Tom Devilbiss, Acting Director, Department of Land Use, Planning, and Development.