Debris cleanup after the recent Winter storm is expected to cost about $4 million.
The city will have to dip into its rainy day fund (Fund balance) to foot that bill, but it hopes to get over $3 million of it back from FEMA, but there is a catch; it could be two years or more before it gets anything back.
Tuesday night, the council had to ratify cost increases authorized by the mayor that put the bill at about $3 million. If need be, the price tag might go up again by its March 10th meeting.
The city’s public works department doesn’t have the ability to deal with the clean up alone, so the city hired Southern Disaster Recover (SDR) for the major removal of trees and greenery. To get reimbursed from FEMA it also a second company Tetra Tech, Inc. insure that SDR actually does the work by documenting with photographs that the work was done.
Samaritan’s Purse, an out-of-state Christian Volunteer ministry, trimmed many trees on private property after the storm. The city has hired a private company to haul off debris like this. At most, it could cost as much as $4 million, with just over $3 million reimbursable in about two years.
You can’t have one without the other, if the city wants to recoup its money from FEMA.
City officials asked the council to immediately raise SDR’s contract to $2 million, with the authority to increase it to $3 million if necessary. Tetra Tech’s limit was increased to $500,000. The administration said the goal is to complete debris removal by March 10 without having to return repeatedly for emergency approvals.
SDR is focusing on large trees and hazardous limbs that Public Works crews cannot handle, while Public Works is managing smaller piles and non-vegetative debris. Officials estimate that about half of the storm debris has already been collected.
Council members raised concerns about cash flow, FEMA reimbursement timelines, and overall transparency. While past experience suggests FEMA reimbursement is likely, officials acknowledged that no firm timeline has been guaranteed. Some council members stressed that delays in reimbursement could affect other city projects.
Council members asked whether debris pickup is happening in every district. City Engineer Morgan McAlister told them that two trucks work each of the five districts daily.
However, Wednesday morning, SDR representative Edward Moore told the Free Press that he received an Email Tuesday directing SDR to concentrate its cleanup efforts in the Loop Road area. Moore said that initially, they were picking up in each district daily.
On Wednesday morning, the Free Press asked Mayor Friday Ellis who authorized the email to direct all debris pickup for Wednesday to the Loop Road area. An answer was promised by noon on Wednesday, but was not received.
Council members also asked for the names of local vendors or subcontractors by used by SDR to help with the debris remove. McAlister said he would forward them the information.
