County commissioners caution builders about flood plain requirements

Thursday, September 3, 2015

McCOOK, Neb. -- Red Willow County commissioners have expressed concerns lately with people ignoring or not being aware of the need for permits to build on flood plains within the county and to move oversized loads on county roads.

Gary Dicenta, the county's flood plain administrator, said that unpermitted construction or dirtwork in a flood plain can result in fines of $500 a day. "The sheriff is the enforcement officer," Dicenta said at a commissioners' meeting recently. "He can issue citations."

The flood plain program is a federal program, Dicenta said, and if the county does not comply with the rules, it can be removed from the flood plain program -- threatening loans and flood insurance for people living in the flood plain.

The flood plain through Red Willow County is not confined only to the Republican River valley. It also includes tributaries of the Republican and drainways throughout the county.

Contact Dicenta for information on the flood plain program, (308) 345-3710.

A permit is required, also, to move oversized loads and structures over Red Willow County roads.

While this regulation excludes farm equipment, it does not exclude mobile homes moving from one location to another, commissioners pointed out, whether they're moved as inhabitable structures or for salvage purposes.

For information on and to obtain oversized load/structure permits, call the county clerk's office, (308) 345-1552.

The county's $50 permit is good only on county roads; a separate permit is needed for state roads and must be obtained from the Nebraska Department of Roads.

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