Cedar Falls Buyout Article

CF Council to apply for federal flood buyout program
By MARY STEGMEIR, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- City Council members voted Monday to apply for flood-buyout aid through the federal program that has helped remove 164 Cedar Falls homes from flood-prone areas since 1993.The possibility of crafting a locally managed and financed alternative will be investigated as the city rebuilds from the disaster, but Richard McAlister, director of administrative services, cautioned that any municipal buyout program likely would take years to develop.The exact number of properties that may be eligible and able to be purchased has not been determined, but the city is surveying property owners to determine interest. Nearly 500 Cedar Falls property owners affected by this summer's floods were mailed surveys asking whether they would apply for a buyout. To date, about 200 respondents have indicated they would like to sell their lots to the city.While costs have not been determined, the city is familiar with the process from prior floods."From the staff perspective, going with the federal/state option allows us to focus on known programs that we know will be financed," he said. "If we focus the energy in that direction, it will led us to step No. 2, which will be determining how much that will cost us locally to support that program."In the past, the federal government has paid 75 percent of buyout offers, while the state and city pitch in 10 percent and 15 percent, respectively.Cedar Falls will apply for the federal and state funds in September, and learn how much money will be allocated to the city later this fall.Council member Kamyar Enshayan said that was too long to wait for relief. Although he supports a city application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency-sponsored buyout program, Enshayan wants Cedar Falls to research local relief strategies. Such options could include offering free land to displaced families or footing the demolition bill for severely damaged structures, he said."We should start talking about and developing concepts and calculating the costs of developing compelling incentives for residents to consider moving away from flood-prone areas," said Enshayan, who also advocated passing policies to keep residents from rebuilding in high-risk areas. "Someone needs to look at this, and not in September."In June, Congress approved a $2.6 billion aid package to help Iowa recover from the summer's natural disasters. More than 340 cities in the Hawkeye State sustained flood damage last month. Some of the federal relief funds will finance buyouts for those property owners, but that money will not be allocated to cities until October or November at the earliest.At a special meeting following the floods, City Council members learned that a buyout program probably would not result in actual purchases for about one year.Cedar Falls resident Chuck Linhart said the wait was trying, but noted he was glad the council supported the federal buyout plan."They really have to go with that," said Linhart, who lost a Cedar City rental home in the flood. "It's unfortunate. People are stuck because they don't know whether or not they'll get a buyout, but waiting's really the only thing we can do."Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.