Columbus city councilmen voted during a special-call meeting Tuesday to begin storm debris monitoring and cleanup following a Feb. 23 tornado that damaged parts of north and east Columbus.
Debris Tech, an Atlanta-based debris monitoring company, and Looks Great Services, a utility clearing and maintenance company based in Columbia, began clearing debris from rights-of-way in north and east Columbus Tuesday afternoon after councilmen voted unanimously to give both companies a notice to proceed. Mayor Robert Smith told The Dispatch the notices to proceed are not contractual, and that the city will not be billed by either company until a national emergency declaration is signed by President Donald Trump, which would enable Columbus to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to assist with storm damage repair.
Councilmen originally planned to wait until the federal emergency declaration was signed before authorizing the beginning of cleanup in order to ensure both companies would be reimbursed by FEMA, but Smith said photographs on Facebook of mice and snakes living in debris piles motivated him to ask councilmen to act.
“Debris is a hazard to human health and safety,” he said. “We owe it to the residents to get this taken care of.”
Funding to pay for debris monitoring and removal was the subject of debate between Smith and councilman Bill Gavin, Ward 6, during the special-call meeting. Gavin questioned where the funding would come from, while Smith reiterated that Columbus would have to pay for the debris to be removed regardless of whether FEMA funding came through.
“If we approve (the notices to proceed), and I know that we have to because we don’t have a choice, then all I want to know is how we’re going to pay for it,” Gavin said. “We have the storm damage and the city isn’t in great shape financially. That’s what I’m asking.”
Debris Tech will bill the city about $229 per hour for debris monitoring and Looks Great will bill the city roughly $1.9 million total, according to their bids.
Smith argued that the city would “have to borrow money regardless” to pay for cleanup. The city will take out a municipal bond in anticipation of FEMA funding to pay both companies, said Columbus Chief Operations Officer David Armstrong.
Smith said he was “not at liberty” to discuss how the city would repay the bond if a federal emergency was not declared and the city did not receive FEMA money. However, he added, he doesn’t expect that to be an issue.
“It’s not a question of if,” he said. “It’s a question of when the declaration will be signed. We’re just waiting.”
Ward 5, represented by Councilman Stephen Jones, saw the majority of the tornado damage. Jones said he’s been fielding calls from residents wondering why debris cleanup hasn’t started yet, and is glad he can now tell them it has begun.
“We were hoping the president would sign the declaration so we could sort out the money,” he said. “But we can’t wait any longer. It’s not fair to the residents. At least now citizens will feel like the mayor and city council are trying.”
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