The Mauldin City Council on Dec. 16 authorized staff to draw up to $750,000 from the city’s unassigned general‑fund balance to pay for final debris removal related to damage from Hurricane Helene. City officials said the expenditure would be made now to finish the cleanup, and that the city expects to seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD).

City Administrator Seth Duncan told the council the $750,000 request is "for final debris removal from hurricane Helene storm dam[age]." He said the city previously allocated $750,000 for initial debris work and has spent additional internal resources. "We reached out and hired a contractor ... Bellmore was able to help us quickly address some of the worst hit areas," Duncan said. He described a completed RFP process and said Bellmore is likely to be the responsible contractor for the follow‑on cleanup; Bellmore is a local contractor.

Duncan said the city aims to finish the final debris removal by January so it can submit reimbursement paperwork by March 31. "According to FEMA officials last week and SCEMD officials ... we're looking at a reimbursement process of about 6 to 9 months," he said. He estimated the city's all‑in cost to date and to complete the cleanup at about $1.5 million, noting some city staff costs and other small items may not be reimbursable. He added that some additional eligible costs not previously considered — for example, fuel for generators used to power city facilities during the emergency — are now being documented for potential reimbursement.

Councilmember Matney thanked staff and public‑works crews for their work on cleanup. Councilmember Reynolds asked whether the city expects to be reimbursed for the full amount; Duncan answered that the city believes it will recover the bulk of its costs and that final details will be clearer at submission time in February–March. The motion to authorize the draw from unassigned fund balance — "an amount not to exceed $750,000 to be used for our debris pickup" — carried unanimously.

Duncan said the city posted geotagged maps of debris piles and asked residents to confirm whether any significant storm debris is missing from those maps to ensure complete pickup. He urged residents to place eligible storm debris at the curb so it can be collected as part of the contractor plan.

The authorization funds immediate cleanup; the city described the payment as an upfront expense that FEMA and SCEMD would likely reimburse if the associated documentation and eligibility requirements are met. Final project closeout, Duncan said, could take a year or longer.