East Peoria officials approved an updated floodplain ordinance after determining the city could face serious consequences for rejecting FEMA’s revised maps. The changes add roughly 430 properties to the designated flood-risk area, while city leaders, drainage authorities and regional partners continue efforts to persuade FEMA to reconsider portions of the update.
Key takeaways
The council’s decision preserves residents’ access to the federal flood insurance program while keeping the city’s appeal efforts alive.
- The ordinance passed 4-0, with one commissioner absent.
- About 430 additional East Peoria properties are now included in the floodplain.
- Some owners with federally backed mortgages may be required to purchase flood insurance.
- City officials estimate affected property owners could see annual insurance costs rise by more than $2,000.
- East Peoria plans to pursue FEMA map amendments and other review options.
Council approves the updated ordinance
The East Peoria City Council adopted the ordinance ahead of a Sept. 7 deadline set in connection with FEMA’s revised flood maps for Tazewell County. The maps took effect in July, and the city had already received additional time to bring its local rules into compliance.
Mayor John Kahl said officials felt they had limited options. Leaders had previously expressed frustration and considered delaying the vote while searching for alternatives, but the city attorney warned that failing to act could create broader problems for property owners.
Flood insurance and federal aid at stake
City Attorney Scott Brunton said rejecting the maps could cause East Peoria to be suspended from the federal flood insurance program. That would not directly impose a penalty on the city, he said, but it could prevent owners in both newly designated and existing flood areas from obtaining coverage required by federally backed mortgages.
The city could also become less eligible for certain federal disaster assistance. For residents whose properties are newly included in the floodplain, the potential insurance requirement represents a significant new expense.
Appeals will continue after adoption
Approval of the ordinance does not end East Peoria’s objections. Brunton said the city can still pursue FEMA’s map amendment process and other avenues for review. The East Peoria Drainage and Levee District and the Greater Peoria Sanitary District are also participating in the effort.
Officials said the groups must coordinate technical and engineering information as they seek changes. Some information related to the revised maps reached local officials only shortly before the vote, adding to the council’s concerns.
Levee certification influenced the mapping process
Brunton said FEMA generally updates flood maps by county every 15 to 20 years. A previous update affecting East Peoria was partially delayed while officials worked to recertify local levees, a process requiring engineering review even when there was no specific problem with the structures.
Because flood maps may remain in place for decades, city officials said they want to continue challenging portions they believe do not accurately reflect local flood protection.
Ordinance also raises construction standard
The updated ordinance includes a higher freeboard requirement requested by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Freeboard is the vertical distance between a structure’s base flood elevation and its finished floor elevation.
East Peoria increased that minimum from one-tenth of an inch to one full inch, adding another layer of elevation protection for applicable construction in flood-risk areas.
