REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the Implementation of the Community Rating System 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information Related to the National Flood Insurance Program
Report
BACKGROUND
Sunnyvale is a member of the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) in which floodplain management activities are translated into flood insurance reductions for residents. CRS is a voluntary program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) NFIP. In 2015, Sunnyvale joined ten other local jurisdictions within Santa Clara County to form the Program for Public Information (PPI) as it relates to the cities’ individual flood programs. Each of the ten cities is a member in the CRS program and is committed to participating in the PPI with the intent of collectively earning flood insurance discounts for each City’s residents. Sunnyvale is currently a CRS class 7, with a corresponding 15% discount on flood insurance for its residents. The PPI is a voluntary document but has the potential to earn bonus multiplier points for outreach materials. A requirement of the PPI is to prepare an annual report. Valley Water takes the lead on the annual report.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 7.0 - C (4): Support cooperative analysis and negotiation among neighboring and overlapping jurisdictions prior to promulgating laws, regulations, permits and fees that impact residents, property owners and businesses in locations receiving service from multiple agencies.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
DISCUSSION
Sunnyvale has been a member of the CRS program since 1998. The PPI was introduced into Santa Clara County’s CRS program in 2013. Participation is voluntary. In the PPI process, communities can work together to decide which flood risk reduction messages are the most appropriate and design a program to deliver those messages. These efforts are awarded points that translate into discounts on flood insurance for the participating communities’ constituents. The benefit of participating in a PPI is that bonus multiplier points are awarded since the jurisdictions are working on a combined effort for their outreach messages.
CRS Program Background
CRS is a voluntary program under the NFIP that allows communities to earn flood insurance premium discounts for their residents and businesses. Communities earn CRS points for activities that promote good flood risk reduction practices, including implementation of outreach activities under the PPI. Communities are assigned class ratings based on the points earned. CRS Class ratings are assigned at 500-point increments and each improvement in class rating nets an additional 5% discount for property owners who pay flood insurance premiums in participating communities.
Since Valley Water is not a land-use agency, the points Valley Water earns as a fictitious community provide a foundation for the communities to build upon. FEMA approved this unique arrangement in 1998. The total savings for Santa Clara County residents from CRS discounts is approximately $2.37 million a year.
PPI Must Be Renewed Every Five Years
Every five years, CRS communities must update the PPI. Each year, the CRS communities must reconvene to evaluate whether the flood risk reduction messages are still appropriate and adjust the PPI, as needed. Additionally, a report to FEMA must be submitted annually describing the PPI implementation. The report is shared with each participating community governing body. On April 14, 2015, Valley Water’s Board adopted the original 2015 Santa Clara County PPI 5-Year Plan. On June 23, 2015 (RTC No, 15-0419), the City Council approved the PPI for the City of Sunnyvale.
In February 2020, Valley Water hosted the start of the 5-year PPI process, in which fifteen (15) communities worked together to review and update the 2015 PPI. These communities included the current eleven (11) participating CRS communities (the cities of Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Valley Water) and four (4) communities that were interested in applying to become a CRS community (the Town of Los Gatos and the Town of Los Altos Hills, the City of Saratoga, and the County of Santa Clara). Staff and external stakeholders from each of the communities participated in the drafting of the PPI.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities had to shift priorities to respond to the public health crisis; therefore, FEMA provided an extension of completing of the PPI to early 2021. Valley Water reconvened the participating communities and stakeholders in October 2020 to begin developing the new 5-year PPI for Santa Clara County.
The PPI must be developed by a committee comprised of both staff and non-governmental representatives from each of the participating communities, known as the PPI Committee. Each participant brought unique perspectives and suggestions that enhanced the outreach plan. In addition to FEMA’s standard messages, two messages were identified as important to Santa Clara County. The first was encouraging residents and workers to make a personal family emergency plan. The second was urging drivers to slow down on wet roads and avoid driving through ponded water to reduce traffic accidents.
The draft PPI was reviewed by FEMA to ensure its provisions fully comply with FEMA requirements, prior to approval by any participating agency’s government body.
Valley Water approved the PPI 5-Year Plan on April 27, 2021.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Take the following actions:
- Review the 2021 Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information; and
- Approve the implementation of the Program for Public Information 5-Year Plan to be part of the City’s participation in the Community Rating System (CRS) that provides premium discounts for policies in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Staff
Prepared by: Tamara Davis, Senior Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Department of Public Works
Reviewed by: Jaqui Guzmán, Deputy City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2021 Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (5-Year Plan)
2. Program for Public Information, Appendix A
3. Program for Public Information, Appendix D