Property owners fill commission room to hear more on FEMA grant program

Property owners in Madison and Lake County who want to apply to be a part of FEMA’s structure acquisition or relocation program through the agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program need to act soon.  

Close to 50 people turned out for a public meeting regarding the program held last night in the Madison City Commission room.  Todd Kays with First District Association of Local Governments presented information specifically on the structure acquisition and relocation program portion of the FEMA grant funding, which relates to structures damaged by flooding events in 2019 or had been flooded repeatedly in the past.  

Overall, there is a total of just more than nine-million dollars in FEMA grant money available for hazard mitigation projects in the state.  Kays told the group last night that if they apply and their project is approved, FEMA will pay for 75-percent of the project costs and the state will pay for ten-percent.  The rest of the cost will be on the property owner.

Kays said that property owners interested in participating in this program need to contact their local government – either the city or the county.  He said the city and the county need to be the sponsor for the individual projects. Kays told the group that in order to apply, they will need to get a “pre-damage” appraisal from a licensed appraiser, and the appraisal must be completed by January 23rd.  He said the entire grant applications are due by March 13th, but he said that it is a slow process after that. 

Kays said property owners need to make the determination if this is a project that will meet their needs.

Kays’ presentation, along with questions, took around an hour on Monday night, but he encouraged anyone with additional questions about the program to contact him or Greg Maag with First District. 

FEMA Structure Relocation Program Fact Sheet

First District Association of Local Governments