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Commissioners discuss FEMA debris cleanup, contractor billing and county reimbursement plan
Summary
Court reviewed debris-removal work under contracts with private firms, agreed to cover interim costs from contingency while staff submit invoices to FEMA/TDEM, and asked staff to provide names of county temporary workers for weekend coverage; several precincts said initial debris lists underreported their needs.
The Van Zandt County Commissioners Court discussed ongoing FEMA debris-removal operations and how the county will pay contractors and staff while awaiting federal reimbursement.
County officials said two contractors, Drewry Construction and Debris Tech, are working to collect storm debris across county roads. The court said the contractors plan to operate seven days a week “until they get it done,” and agreed the county must provide local monitoring and coordination for the work. “They’re gonna work 7 days a week until they get it done,” the County Judge said when introducing the topic.
The court reported Daryl Easley is the county representative on the ground coordinating pickups and working with the monitoring company to determine whether leaning or hanging trees and stumps qualify as reimbursable debris. A court member summarized Easley’s role: “He’s the interface from the county side on what we need to do in that regard.”
Commissioners and precinct staff raised practical problems: many roads were not included on the county’s initial lists to FEMA/TDEM, some piles are recent and may not be eligible for pickup, and private-property boundaries complicate removals. Commissioners stressed contractors will not enter private yards to remove debris unless specific conditions require it; county work is focused on easements and county right-of-way.
On funding, the court said the county will pay contractors and turn invoices over to FEMA and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) for reimbursement. The judge indicated contingency funds will be used initially: invoices will be paid from county contingency and then submitted for federal/state reimbursement. The court instructed county offices to supply names and availability of local staff willing to work weekend and weekday shifts to relieve the county representative and support operations.
Precinct officials said their initial debris submissions undercounted actual volumes; one commissioner estimated the county had turned in roughly 10,000 cubic yards so far, with about 8,000 cubic yards in Precinct 2. Several precincts said they still have large piles that need collection and that local pickup has at times required heavy equipment and multiple trucks.
No formal new contract or appropriation vote occurred at the workshop; the court asked staff to compile worker contact information and documentation to support FEMA/TDEM reimbursement and to keep commissioners apprised of invoicing and timing.
