The Minot City Council voted 13-0 Tuesday to reject a proposal to create a new advisory flood plain for the city.
The council heard from just one resident, who voiced strong opinions against the change, before voting down the plan.
The council has been considering whether to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to adopt an Advisory Base Flood Elevation of 9,600 cubic feet a second of river flow, which would expand the area now considered a flood plain from the current 5,000 cfs. The elevation would have served until FEMA finalizes a new, permanent flood plain, which could be three to five years.
The advisory elevation would have made a number of homes in the valley eligible for voluntary buyouts using up to $30 million to $35 million in federal hazard mitigation dollars. Disadvantages of the plan included strict construction standards that the city would have to adopt and the requirement that no construction could occur in areas where houses are demolished or relocated using the federal money.