COOPERATING TECHNICAL PARTNERS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT AGREEMENT is made on _________________________, by these parties: (Partner Name, Including State), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). BECAUSE the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) established by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 has several purposes, the most significant being * To better indemnify individuals from losses through the availability of flood insurance; * To reduce future flood damages through community floodplain management regulations; and * To reduce costs for disaster assistance and flood control; BECAUSE a critical component of the NFIP is the identification and mapping of the nation's floodplains to create a broad-based awareness of flood hazards and to provide the data necessary for community floodplain management programs and to actuarially rate flood insurance; BECAUSE FEMA administers the NFIP and is authorized by §1360 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4101), to establish and update flood-risk zone data in floodplain areas; BECAUSE, in the identification of floodprone areas, FEMA is authorized to consult with, receive information from, and enter into agreements or other arrangements with the head of any State, regional, or local agency; BECAUSE FEMA encourages strong Federal, State, regional, and local partnerships for the purposes of reducing flood losses and disaster assistance; FEMA and its State, regional, and local partners have determined that it is advantageous to encourage and formalize greater cooperation in the flood hazard identification and mapping processes; and many communities and the agencies that serve them have developed considerable technical capabilities and resources that provide the opportunity to improve and expand the collection, development, and evaluation of flood hazard data; and BECAUSE (Partner Name) participates in the NFIP (or shares flood protection and/or floodplain management responsibilities with communities that participate in the NFIP), (Partner Name) has/have been deemed by FEMA to be in good standing in the NFIP; and BECAUSE (Partner Name) has expressed a desire to perform certain functions in the flood hazard identification process and has provided evidence that it has sufficient technical capability and will dedicate the resources necessary to perform those functions. NOW THEREFORE, it is mutually agreed that the parties enter into this Agreement to work together to create and maintain accurate, up-to-date flood hazard data for (Partner Name) subject to the terms and conditions recited below. 1. CONSULTATIONS The parties shall collaborate on flood hazard identification activities and shall consult with each other to fully integrate each other's contributions into flood hazard identification efforts. Questions regarding the execution of this Agreement will be resolved by an implementation committee consisting of a FEMA representative and a (Partner Name) representative. In states where statutory and/or regulatory requirements require State review and/or approval of new flood hazard data, a State representative also will serve on the implementation committee as appropriate. If the implementation committee is unable to resolve technical issues, the issues may be resolved through alternative dispute resolution procedures. 2. EVALUATION AND REPORTING The parties shall, on an annual basis, review the partnership created by this Agreement to determine and document the activities undertaken to maintain accurate flood hazard data and to revise the Agreement as necessary. 3. RESOURCE COMMITMENT The parties agree to commit the appropriate and available human, technical, and financial resources sufficient to coordinate effectively with all entities impacted by flood hazard identification efforts to implement this Agreement. 4. STANDARDS Unless otherwise agreed to by the parties, all flood hazard identification activities will be accomplished in accordance with the standards documented in Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners, dated April 2003, and all subsequent revisions. 5. SPECIFIC INITIATIVES OR PROJECTS Specific initiatives or projects to be performed under this Agreement are to be documented in Mapping Activity Statement(s), which will be attached to this Agreement when they are signed. The parties will be obligated to perform as described in the signed Mapping Activity Statement(s). 6. TERM The respective duties, responsibilities, and commitments of the parties in this Agreement shall begin on the date this Agreement is signed by the parties and may be periodically renewed, revised, or terminated at the option of any of the parties. The parties agree that a 60-day notice shall be given prior to the termination of this Agreement. THEREFORE, each party has caused this Agreement to be executed by its duly authorized representatives on the date mentioned above. ____________________________________ __________________________________ Partner Authorized Representative Date (Printed) Partner Title ____________________________________ __________________________________ FEMA Authorized Representative Date (Printed) FEMA Representative Title ____________________________________ __________________________________ State Authorized Representative Date (Printed) State Representative Title CONTACT INFORMATION ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Official Partner Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Point of Contact(s) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Point of Contact Mailing Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Point of Contact E-Mail Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Point of Contact Phone Number