Current regulations in Hamilton County allow essentially unlimited building in a flood plain if it is raised to an elevation at least one foot above the flood zone elevation. The “flood plain”, also known as the “100-year flood zone”, is an area deemed as having a one percent chance of flooding. A key point is that a 100-year flood does not mean it will flood every 100 years, but rather there is a one percent chance of that level of flood happening each year. FEMA uses the term Special Flood Hazard Area to identify areas on flood maps with a one percent or greater chance of flooding annually. Properties within the 100-year floodplain, or SFHA, are often required to purchase flood insurance, ... (click for more)

As an elected official in Hamilton County, I have sought the opinion of our county attorney on several occasions. In light of the impending retirement of our County Attorney Rheubin Taylor, I feel the need to offer my deepest and most sincere appreciation for Rheubin and his staff. The times that I have called the attorney’s office, I have always been received with a great response. Whether meeting with Attorney Taylor in the parking garage and discussing an issue, or being in the office with a table full of his staff, I have never been made to feel irrelevant. In times of urgency, he has gathered a room full of his staff in a matter of minutes, just to listen to my problem and offer ... (click for more)