By Tyler Martineau 

tmartineau@torringtontelegram.com 

TORRINGTON – The Torrington City Council passed an emergency ordinance during a special meeting held on Wednesday.

Councilman Rick Patterson was absent from the meeting. 

The council declared an emergency in order to pass an ordinance relating to flood plain damage. 

During the regular meeting on May 18, the council received background on the 23-page ordinance for the FEMA flood plain by Emergency Preparedness Specialist Kim Johnson with the governor’s office. 

In following with standard procedures, the council then passed the ordinance on first reading. 

Shortly after the meeting, Building and Grounds Superintendent Dennis Estes received calls from Johnson as well as representatives from FEMA who asked why it was not already passed and if it wasn’t done by June 1, anyone who has a new home loan and has to get flood insurance will not be approved until it is passed. Estes said he asked how many flood insurance policies there were in Torrington and was told there are zero. 

“I honestly didn’t get a hurry on it because I didn’t think it was that critical June 1, because we would have been done by the 17th of June,” Estes said. 

The emergency meeting served as a second and third reading for the council to pass the ordinance temporarily and then ratify it at the next regular meeting. 

Estes also said he was only given six months to rework the 40-page plan from FEMA into the current ordinance which was brought before the council.

The ordinance allows those in the flood plain in Torrington to purchase flood insurance while also changing the building code when new additions are made on properties. 

Estes also said the ordinance is needed to show Torrington is part of FEMA’s flood program in cases where floods occur the city will be able to receive federal funding for relief. 

The next regular meeting is June 7 at 7 p.m.