Burke County manager outlines year-end budget amendments, withdraws FEMA grant and adds $2 million for disaster recovery

County Manager (unnamed) told the Burke County Board of Commissioners at its June 2 pre‑agenda meeting that staff will present a fiscal year 2024–25 year‑end budget amendment at the regular meeting that reallocates existing funds and adjusts accounts to close out the fiscal year, June 30.

The manager said the county will withdraw from a longstanding federal emergency management grant referred to in the meeting as a "Bridal grant, which is a federal emergency management, administrative FEMA grant," a project originally valued at $2,400,000; the county's match portion tied to that award was described as $1.1 million. That match had been earmarked for the Indian Hills pump station project but will be reallocated as staff completes the year‑end cleanups.

The amendment also moves funds from a Clean Water Trust Fund award that the county used to finance the water‑meter project and directs remaining state ARPA dollars into additional capital in the county's water and sewer fund. The manager said the Eastbrook convenience site and the 201 Avery project (the county's adult protective services location) finished under budget; he said $179,000 of residual equity from Eastbrook and $65,008.75 from 201 Avery will be returned to general capital or the general fund.

Staff estimated an approximately $2,000,000 increase in the county's disaster recovery fund tied to lingering invoices for public assistance and debris collection associated with recent storms. The manager said invoices from February and March are still arriving and that the county will pay those invoices and include them in the FEMA public assistance application; he characterized the $2 million as an estimate of costs expected to linger during closeout.

Why it matters: the amendment contains internal reallocations intended to close fiscal year accounts and cover storm‑related costs without adding new appropriations, the manager said. The county's plan relies on state and federal reimbursement processes (including FEMA public assistance) to recapture some disaster costs over time, but staff warned that invoices remain and that the county will advance payments pending reimbursement.

Details and context: the manager framed the budget amendment as routine year‑end housekeeping but highlighted several programmatic shifts: withdrawing from the FEMA grant for Indian Hills pump station; reallocating match funds; applying state ARPA to water/sewer capital; and returning residual equity from completed projects. He said the county's crossover deadline with the state on collections had passed and that some right‑of‑way and other reimbursements moved to state responsibility as of a recent midnight cutoff described in the meeting.

Discussion vs. decision: the manager presented the amendment during the consent‑agenda preview and answered commissioners' questions; no final board vote on the amendment was taken at the pre‑agenda meeting. The item was left on the consent agenda for formal action at the regular meeting.

What remains unresolved: staff will present the full amendment and supporting schedules at the regular meeting; expected FEMA reimbursements and the final closeout amount remain estimates until application review and federal/state approvals are complete.