The mayor of the central Indiana city of Tipton says recent flooding has caused more than $2.5 million in property damage and a loss of as much as 10 percent in its property tax base.
Mayor Don Havens says in an impact statement to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the floods also displaced about 5 percent of the city’s population of about 5,000 people.
The Kokomo Tribune reported that Havens detailed the flood impacts in the hope the community will be declared a disaster area and become for federal and state financial assistance.
The city about 35 miles north of Indianapolis has spent an estimated $150,000 on flood debris removal and landfill fees from the April 19-20 flooding along Big Cicero Creek and Buck Creek.
“I expect those costs could double,” Havens said. If that happens, those costs will have eaten up 10 percent of the city’s $3 million in tax revenues.
“We have worked hard in the hope the state and federal governments will find we’re eligible for public assistance,” he said. “Right now, we’re taking the money from our operating balance.”
Havens said the flood disproportionately affected lower income and lesser educated individuals in the community. The long-term impact could be the abandonment of up to 10 percent of the damaged properties and the loss of population, he said.
The Tipton County Commissioners, in their FEMA impact statement, said flood control is needed on Big Cicero Creek.
Commissioner Joe VanBibber said flood mitigation is a priority in the county.
“We went through the studies,” VanBibber said of flood mitigation efforts in the past. “It’s time that it comes before the public.”
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