Westport Climate Resilience Committee Approves Minutes, Debates Draft Flood Recommendations

WESTPORT — June 11, 2026 — Westport's Climate Resilience Committee debated the tone and scope of its draft climate report and finalized plans for a public outreach booth at River Days on June 20. Member Constance raised sharp concerns about the water section of Chapter 8, calling draft recommendations — including language about homeowner retreat options, flood-proofing requirements tied to occupancy certificates, and municipal easements on flood-prone properties — "incredibly alarming" and difficult to understand, saying she "couldn't recognize the water thing" she had worked on. Jeff, who consolidated roughly 40 pages of subcommittee submissions into about 15 pages for Chapter 7, clarified that the flagged items were externally sourced candidates from other communities' resilience plans, not adopted recommendations. Member Bob argued that FEMA floodplain maps cover a small fraction of Westport's land and population, and that for most residents the primary climate risk is extended power loss, not catastrophic flooding. The committee approved minutes from its April 30 meeting unanimously and will next meet July 23, with subcommittees asked to reconcile their own recommendation lists with the externally sourced items before that session.