JeffCo says FEMA owes them millions for tornado cleanup

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL (WBRC)-

Jefferson County may be bankrupt, but it says FEMA and the state still owe it money from the tornado recovery. Commission President David Carrington says the county was reimbursed nearly $8 million of the $19 million that was spent on tornado cleanup.

Jefferson County government hasn't had a great year. But one thing they think they got right? Cleaning up from the April 27th tornadoes.

"It was a day we will always remember, it was a dreadful day in Alabama," said County Manager Tony Petelos. "But the quick response from the folks in Jefferson County and the municipalities, I think, just did great."

"Within 24 hours we did an RFP for cleanup, within 48 hours we retained Ceres, and within 72 hours we had boots on the ground cleaning up," said Commissioner? David Carrington.

That cleanup comes at a price. The county pulled $25 million out of its reserves immediately to start the recovery work, expecting that most of it would be paid back. But at the end of this year, they still have about $11 million that hasn't been reimbursed by either the state or federal government.

"You have to do the paperwork and it all has to be in order and I'm not gonna be critical of them in the speed," Petelos said. "But we hope to get this thing resolved quickly so we can move on."

Of that, the county may still have to absorb about $2 million dollars and not return that money to its dwindling reserves.

"Our cash flow won't be affected for several more months, but at that point, it could be a problem but we hope to have that settled by then," Petelos said.

The county is also in a fight with its storm cleanup contractor over about a $3 million dollar difference in what the contractor is charging and what the county thinks it owes.

It all comes from a debate about what to charge for removing certain kinds of tree stumps, minor, but Carrington says that $3 million question could end up in a lawsuit, which of course is on hold while bankruptcy is underway.

Copyright 2011 WBRC. All rights reserved.

Source: http://hoover.myfoxal.com/news/news/102825-jeffco-says-fema-owes-them-millions-tornado-cleanup

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