The Mathews County Board of Supervisors approved a new policy for dealing with FEMA grants during a meeting Tuesday afternoon.

On a 4-1 vote, with supervisor Neena Putt dissenting, the board adopted policy standards intended to provide guidelines for residents who apply for federal funding to elevate flood-prone structures or who express a desire to have the county purchase their flood-prone land and put it in a perpetual open space easement.

The board eliminated a provision in the policy, written by planning and zoning director John Shaw, which would have established a steering committee. The purpose of the committee would have been to resolve disputes, recommend a higher value for property if funds were available, and consider the purchase of less than an entire parcel if part of the property were not in a flood hazard zone.

In discussing the policy, Shaw reiterated that grant funding is not based on whether the property is a primary or secondary home. Rather, it is based on ...