(Spencer)– The Spencer City Council Monday heard an update on the buyout program for properties in the city destroyed or heavily damaged in last year’s flood. City Manager Kevin Robinson says there are several different classifications…
“The first is the Swift Current program. These are properties that are in the 100 year flood plain and have NFIP insurance. We have four of those properties. Those properties will come down and be acquired by the city late spring, early summer. The next wave that the community will see will be the 403 Imminent Threat Properties. These are properties that will be coming down without any ownership exchange, so the current owner will still own the property. Those will be coming down mid to late summer. And then the bulk of the program, the 404 Buyouts, we have in the mid 30’s the number of properties for those. Those will be transacted and demo’d late fall, mid to late fall, more than likely. So the timing of this is the state of Iowa packages these grants, sends them to FEMA, FEMA does a final review process and then forwards the money back to the state of Iowa. They then forward the money back to our community.”
Robinson also told the council the federal government has now released Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief Funds…
“This is the big chunk of federal funding that comes after a disaster for a community. It’s administered through the Housing and Urban Development level at the federal government to the state of Iowa at the Iowa Economic Development Authority. That money has not only been allocated and funded, but it’s also been designated to specific parts of the state of Iowa, a handful of counties that were significantly impacted last year including Clay county, have been specifically named in that. We don’t have a dollar amount yet for Spencer and we don’t have timing yet for the DR programs but we are in contact with the state of Iowa.”
Robinson says the funds can be used for future mitigation, rehabilitation and renovation projects.
