E. Dundee to help homeowners in flood-prone area

East Dundee officials will not leave residents - whose properties are now located in a flood-prone area thanks to updated maps - high-and-dry.

The village board Monday voted 5-1 in favor of helping more than 60 homeowners in the village's Flats neighborhood who now require costly flood insurance because their property is now included within redrawn Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain boundaries.

Trustee Jeff Lynam was the lone dissenter in a village board decision to reimburse the affected residents up to $100 toward the cost of obtaining documentation refuting the floodplain designation. Trustee Rob Gorman was absent.

Residents can obtain a Letter of Map Amendment or Certificate of Elevation, showing property elevations are higher than the base flood line, Village Engineer Joe Heinz told residents Monday.

The cost of a map amendment could range from $100 to $150, based on bulk quotes from three local survey companies, Heinz said. Elevation certificates are more costly, with quotes ranging from $200 to $275, said Heinz, who emphasized the numbers were based on a group discount rate.

Mortgage companies require homeowners to take out flood insurance. Flood insurance could cost homeowners between $1,200 and $1,500 a year with a $5,000 deductible. That does not guarantee coverage if a basement is flooded. The insurance will cover essential equipment in the basement like furnaces and structural elements, but it does not cover basement improvements or contents like furniture.

About 35 residents confronted the board Monday but agreed any assistance from the village helps.

"One hundred dollars is a lot of money for some people right now," said Paula Lauer, whose home on Wenholz Avenue is now in the high-risk area. Lauer added the homes that are included in the floodplain area could lose value, which would negatively affect the village's property tax rate.

Board members said the situation is an example of the community coming together to help.

"We certainly do not have a pile of cash hidden in the basement of village hall," Village President Jerry Bartels said. "But this is a small thing we could do."

Bartels said the program is similar to another village initiative that helped homeowners in the same neighborhood install overhead sewers to overcome sewage backups in times of heavy rain.

However, Lynam, the lone board members to vote against the program, said the rest of the village should not foot the bill for a few residents.

"This is an extreme misuse of funds; it is inappropriate beyond question," Lynam said. "You are asking many to subsidize for the benefit of few. ... This has nothing to do with East Dundee. It has to do with asking the rest of the village to pay for your costs. ... This is a federal issue."

Under the provisions, residents would need to provide the village with an invoice or receipt for survey work regarding the floodplain, Bartels said. The village has not determined a funding source for the program, which could potentially cost the village upward of $7,000.

Residents can visit eastdundeeflats.blogspot.com for more information about prices and survey companies offering a bulk discount.