Chairman makes appointments to flood protection panel

EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler has made appointments to the local flood protection board and met this month with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the American Bottom levee system.

“We discussed how the Southwestern Flood Prevention District Council can work within the Corps of Engineers rules so that we can get federal funding of levee projects,” Prenzler said.

Each county has three members, appointed by county board chairmen, that make up the Flood Prevention District Council. Madison County members are attorneys Tom Long and Ron Motil, along with Jeremy Plank, a local CPA.

The chairman met this past week with Col. Anthony P. Mitchell, commander and district engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District. They discussed ways to best move forward with the levee projects, Prenzler said.

“The goal was to get to the 100-year flood stage,” he said. “Work will be completed this year and levees will receive FEMA accreditation. We want to make sure there are federal funds in place to start the next phase.”

He said the goal of the Corps is to proceed with the 500-year flood protection project so that it’s completed by 2024.

“The more federal dollars we get, the less costs to local taxpayers,” he said.

Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties receive sales tax monies, which is around $11 million annually, to pay for the projects.

—      From the Illinois Business Journal