Designating certain county flood mitigation activities as an essential county purpose

This bill amends the definition of essential county purpose to include the construction, reconstruction, and improvement of all waterways, and real and personal property, useful for the protection or reclamation of property from floods or high waters, and for the protection of property from the effects of flood waters, including the deepening, widening, alteration, change, diversion, or other improvement of watercourses, the construction of levees, embankments, structures, impounding reservoirs, pumping stations or conduits, and the establishment, improvement, and widening of streets, avenues, boulevards, and alleys across and adjacent to the project, as well as the development and beautification of the banks and other areas adjacent to flood control improvements. Under Code chapter 331, a county board of supervisors may generally contract indebtedness and approve the issuance of general obligation bonds to carry out an essential county purpose without approval by voters at an election, while the issuance of general obligation bonds to carry out a general county purpose generally requires approval by voters at election.