§ 14-55. Director duties and responsibilities.

The Director shall administer and implement this article and, among other duties set forth in this article, shall:

(1)

Review applications for permits to determine whether proposed activities will be located in the Special Flood Hazard Area.

(2)

Interpret the floodplain boundaries and provide available base flood elevation and flood hazard information.

(3)

Review applications to determine whether proposed activities will be reasonably safe from flooding and require new construction and substantial improvements to meet the requirements of these regulations.

(4)

Review applications to determine whether all necessary permits have been obtained from the Federal, State, and local agencies from which prior or concurrent approval is required, including, in particular, permits from State agencies for any construction, reconstruction, repair, or alteration of a dam, reservoir, or waterway obstruction, including bridges, culverts, and structures; any alteration of a watercourse, or any change of the course, current, or cross section of a stream or body of water, including any change to the 100-year frequency floodplain of free-flowing non-tidal waters of the State.

(5)

Verify that applicants proposing an alteration of a watercourse have notified adjacent communities, the Division of Dam Safety and Floodplain Management of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and any other appropriate agencies, including, but not limited to, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and have submitted copies of such notifications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

(6)

Approve applications and issue permits to develop in flood hazard areas if the provisions of the requirements of this article have been met or disapprove applications if the requirements of this article have not been met.

(7)

Inspect, or cause to be inspected, buildings, structures, and other development for which permits have been issued to determine whether such buildings, structures, and other development comply with this article, whether such buildings, structures, and other development do not comply with this article, or whether such buildings, structures, and other development violate this article.

(8)

Review elevation certificates and require incomplete or deficient certificates to be corrected.

(9)

Submit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or require applicants to submit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, data and information necessary to maintain flood insurance rate maps, including hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analyses prepared by or for the City, within six months after such data and information becomes available if the analyses indicate changes in base flood elevations.

(10)

Maintain and permanently keep records that are necessary for the administration of this chapter, including:

a.

Flood insurance studies, flood insurance rate maps, including historic studies and maps, and current effective studies and maps, and letters of map change; and

b.

Documentation supporting issuance and denial of permits, elevation certificates, documentation of the elevation, in relation to the data on the flood insurance rate map, to which structures have been floodproofed, records of lowest floor and floodproofing elevations for new construction and substantial improvements, where base flood elevation data is utilized, other required design certifications, variances, and records of enforcement actions taken to correct violations of these regulations.

(11)

Enforce the provisions of this article, investigate violations, issue notices of violations or stop work orders, and require permit holders to take corrective action.

(12)

Advise the Board of Zoning Appeals concerning the intent of this article and, for each application for a variance, prepare a staff report and recommendation.

(13)

Administer the requirements related to proposed work on existing buildings, including:

a.

Making determinations as to whether buildings and structures that are located in flood hazard areas, and that are damaged by any cause, have been substantially damaged.

b.

Making reasonable efforts to notify owners of substantially damaged structures of the need to obtain a permit to repair, rehabilitate or reconstruct any such structure, and prohibit the noncompliant repair of substantially damaged structures, except for temporary emergency protective measures necessary to secure or to stabilize a structure to prevent additional damage.

(14)

Undertake, as the Director determines is appropriate due to the circumstances, other actions, which may include, but are not limited to:

a.

Issuing press releases, public service announcements and other public information materials related to permit requests and repair of damaged structures;

b.

Coordinating with other Federal, State, and local agencies to assist with substantial damage determinations;

c.

Providing owners of damaged structures information related to the proper repair of damaged structures in special flood hazard areas; and

d.

Assisting property owners with documentation necessary to file claims for increased cost of compliance coverage under National Flood Insurance Program flood insurance policies.

(15)

Notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency when the corporate boundaries of the City have been modified, and:

a.

Provide a map that clearly delineates the new corporate boundaries or the new area for which the authority to regulate pursuant to this article has either been assumed or relinquished through annexation; and

b.

If the flood insurance rate map for any annexed area includes special flood hazard areas that have flood zones subject to requirements that are not set forth in this article:

1.

Prepare proposed amendments to this article to adopt the flood insurance rate map and appropriate requirements;

2.

Request that the Mayor submit the proposed amendments to City Council for consideration at the same time as or prior to the date of annexation; and

3.

Provide the Division of Dam Safety and Floodplain Management of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency with copies of amendments to this article.

(16)

Upon the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, complete and submit a report concerning participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. The Federal Emergency Management Agency may request information regarding the number of buildings in the special flood hazard area, the number of permits issued for development in the special flood hazard area, and the number of variances issued for development in the special flood hazard area.

(17)

Take into account flood, mudslide, and flood-related erosion hazards, to the extent that they are known, in all official actions relating to land management and use throughout the entire City, whether or not such hazards have been specifically delineated geographically by mapping, surveying or other appropriate methodology.

(18)

To the extent not otherwise specified herein, be responsible for the City's compliance with 44 CFR § 59.22, as may be applicable.

(Code 2004, § 50-39; Ord. No. 2014-95-66, § 2, 4-28-2014)

(Code 2004, § 50-39; Ord. No. 2014-95-66, § 2, 4-28-2014)