The township will participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program after all.
The board voted 5-2 to participate just two weeks after voting to reconsider action taken in June to participate.
On Monday, the board heard from residents on both sides of the issue, including Mary Shafor, who noted that if the township did not participate in the FEMA program, there would be no money available from the federal government should they be declared an emergency zone by the president.
Trustee Matt Gibb, who brought the reconsideration act earlier this month, said he hasn’t seen factual evidence of higher insurance costs without the program.
‘This program is $40 billion in debt nationally,? he said. ‘It’s a bloated, awful program.?
Gibb added that Michigan doesn’t have flood problems that other states have.
‘This is a donor program for a horrible national flood program.?
Other board members said they saw little harm in participating.
‘We are not causing people to by more insurance by participating in this program,? Trustee John Steimel said. ‘We’d be taking away options for our citizens by not participating.
‘I’m not that confident in FEMA,? he added, ‘but I don’t think our residents will ever have to use the program.
The National Flood Insurance Program allows property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding, essentially designed as an alternative to disaster assistance to meet the costs of repairing damage caused by floods.
Building Official Tom Berger said the township had until September to get on board with the program, or they would lose the opportunity to participate down the road.