Commissioner FAQ:
Are Flood Plains regulated?
Who regulates them in Perry County?
I always like to start with the short answer. The short answer is yes, floodplains are regulated in Perry County. Regarding who regulates? The floodplains within the unincorporated areas are regulated by the Perry County Commissioners; for the areas within village corporation limits, that regulation authority falls on the village council.
Now here is the extended explanation of Flood Plain management…
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Water Resources, defines the flood plain boundaries in the State of Ohio. A county authority (Commissioners) or a village council has no obligation to pass and enforce any flood plain management regulation for their respective jurisdiction. However, if that entity chooses to allow “unregulated” impact to the defined flood plains, they could forfeit any potential Federal or State funds (FEMA or Ohio EMA) for disaster relief in the event of natural disaster.
In 2004/2005 as the Program Administrator for the Perry Soil and Water Conservation District, I approached the County Commissioners at the time with a proposal to assume the responsibilities of Flood Plain Management in Perry County.
The reason for that proposal was that the County and many villages were in danger of a “non-compliance” status by FEMA for the lack of current floodplain management. The commissioners at the time accepted my proposal and I became the Flood Plain Administrator for Perry County.
With that responsibility I wrote what is now the Current Flood Plain Management Resolution for Perry County. (Learn more about Flood Maps & Studies at the ODNR website.)
I then took to the road and met with all the Councils and offered to assume the flood plain management duties for their respective villages. The Villages of Thornville and Somerset were unaffected because their villages have no land within the regulated flood plain. The Villages of Corning and New Lexington chose to continue to handle their Flood Plain program on their own. The Village of Roseville which includes areas in Perry and Muskingum Counties continued to be covered under Muskingum Counties Flood Plain management program.
The Villages of Shawnee, New Straitsville, Hemlock, Junction City, Glenford, and Crooksville adopted a Flood Plain management plan exactly the same as Perry County’s Plan and appointed me as their Flood Plain manager.
As Flood Plain manager I completed course work and passed the exam to obtain my State Flood Plain Manager Certification and continued that work for the County and respective Villages throughout the rest of my career with the Perry SWCD.
Upon my election and starting my career as your Perry County Commissioner in 2017 I continued serving as the Perry County Flood Plain Administrator. I will continue to serve as the Perry County Flood Plain Administrator along with my duties as County Commissioner until a newly certified manager assumes these duties in 2024.
Jessica Dodson-Pierce was hired by the Commissioners in November of 2023 to replace the retiring Rita Spicer as the Director of the Perry County Emergency Management Agency (EMA). With her placement, the Perry County Board of Commissioners officially appointed Jessica as the Perry County Flood Plain Administrator.
Within her first year (2024), Jessica will obtain her State Flood Plain Manager’s Certification.
2024 will mark the end of my 19-year term of Service to Perry County and several Villages as Flood Plain Administrator. I believe a Commissioner should not simultaneously serve as Flood Plain Administrator, and it’s time to improve upon that organizational structure. Perry County is a small county with a limited budget. My work has given the County and its Villages 19 years of Flood Plain management without cost to any department for staffing a Flood Plain manager position. I believe the best assignment for Perry County’s Flood Plain Administrator is within the job duties of the County EMA Director. Jessica Dodson-Pierce will be a great asset to Perry County in this role.
