Of several fairly big-ticket commitments the Bulloch County commissioners approved Tuesday during their last regular meeting of 2024, the largest, at least at first glance, was the $7 million extension of contracts for removal of vegetative debris left by Hurricane Helene.

The county’s original October contract with Southern Disaster Recovery, or SDR, allowed for up to $3 million in payments toward debris removal. Actual charges have been determined by the volume of debris hauled away and a detailed price list for removing limbs and sawed-up or leaning trees from county road right of ways.

Another company, Thompson Consulting Services LLC, was contracted separately to monitor and document the debris removal so the county can qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement. Originally, FEMA was offering 100% cost recovery to cities and counties if the work was done within 90 days, but this has been extended to 120 days, according to a county memo.

“We’re already upping that $3 million, but we are at approximately 40% of the recovery of the debris,” county Public Works Director Dink Butler told the commissioners. “So why we’re here this morning is to ask for some additional funding to complete this project, an additional $7 million that we think will hopefully be able to do that.”

The county’s contract extensions with the two firms are to a maximum of 180 days, concluding around April 9, but with 120 days specified for 100% FEMA reimbursement. Even after that, FEMA would pay 75%, and the state of Georgia 10%, leaving the county to pay 15% of any costs incurred after the 100% deadline, according to Butler and Assistant Public Works Director Robert Seamans.

Beyond the additional payments to contractors, some in-house costs to the county department may also be recouped from FEMA, Butler added.

Bulloch County officials still don’t have any firm date for when, in the eyes of the federal government, the 120-day total reimbursement period began, but they are hoping it will be the original local “notice to proceed” date, which was around Oct. 11.

Previous slowdown

In early November, officials of both the county and Statesboro’s city government, which had also contracted with SDR and Thompson, reported that debris collection had slowed because SDR lost trucking subcontractors to higher-pay offers from Florida.

The number of trucks in use dropped from 15 to as few as three at one point, Butler reported at the time. But according to a memo summarizing his department’s request for Tuesday’s meeting, the number of trucks on the job here has fully rebounded.

“We currently have 22 debris hauling trucks operating in the county at this time. This increase has come about within the last six days,” states the memo, which was reviewed by other county staff members beginning Dec.  12.

Soon the city’s debris removal should be complete, allowing even more trucks to join the county effort, Seamans said.

The county’s renewal letter for SDR, which is based in Greenville, South Carolina, carries a “not to exceed” funding total of $4.5 million. The letter for Thompson Consulting Services, based in Maitland, Florida, allows a “not to exceed” total of $2.5 million.

Commissioners approved unanimously, 6-0.

Final ARPA awards

The year-end agenda also included new funding commitments to outside agencies, including two offers rooted in federal grants received by the county under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Counties and cities face a year-end 2024 deadline to have money from their ARPA grants committed to qualified projects, but officials have said the deadline does not necessarily apply to interest earned on the deposited funds.

The county staff proposed, and commissioners approved, providing the Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center $150,000 from previously uncommitted ARPA money to construct outdoor community recreation facilities.

The commissioners also approved providing an additional $252,000 from ARPA funds to Statesboro Food Bank to help pay for its new building.

Originally, the city of Statesboro and the county each committed $500,000, for a total of $1 million, from their ARPA allocations to the Food Bank project. The county later, last June, added $70,000 in ARPA funds for the facility.

Statesboro City Council during its Tuesday evening meeting also unanimously agreed to reallocate $250,000 of direct SPLOST funds, replacing $250,000 previously committed from interest, to the Food Bank, and to add another $180,000 from SPLOST to complete the project.

So the city and county together will have directed a little over $1.75 million from their ARPA funds and interest to build and equip of the Food Bank building.

Other decisions

Also during the county’s Tuesday morning meeting, commissioners agreed 6-0 to provide $250,000 from Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue toward paving Anderson Cemetery Road or improving its intersection with Highway 67 in fulfillment of state Workforce Housing Grant requirements. Developer VALNOC, LLC is required to fund the rest of the paving cost and is deeding the right of ways for Cornerstone Pointe subdivision to the county, under terms of the grant through the Development Authority of Bulloch County.

Commissioners also unanimously adopted the 2045 Bulloch County-Statesboro Long-Range Transportation Plan, approved two weeks earlier by the Statesboro Council, and a set of amendments to the county subdivision regulations proposed by the Home Builders Association of Statesboro.