Gadsden board presses consultant, seeks FEMA time extensions to unlock hurricane-recovery funds

Gadsden County School Board members on Tuesday pressed consultant Rostan and district staff to finalize FEMA time-extension requests and to sign outstanding closeout documents so millions in obligated disaster-recovery funds can be drawn down.

The board workshop focused on 12 project worksheets tied to Hurricane Michael and other storms that ROSTAN said are “obligated,” meaning FEMA has validated allocations but reimbursements remain stalled without updated period-of-performance extensions and supporting documentation. Joshua Bennett, Rostan’s project lead for the district, said Rostan has draft time-extension requests ready and can be on site next week to work with district staff.

Why this matters: FEMA grant money that has been allocated and obligated can be lost if not kept active with proper project schedules, milestones and final insurance allocations. Board members expressed frustration that many projects have had years of turnover and paperwork gaps that prevented timely reimbursement.

Bennett said FEMA allows a maximum 12-month extension of the period of performance and that Rostan will seek extensions year-by-year to move older PWs (project worksheets) current. He flagged two projects already nearing closeout and described insurance allocation and forensic audit work as drivers of delays.

Board members and staff discussed several specifics: Bennett said the district’s grants-management allocation for Rostan projects currently stands at $496,459.82; later he reported that Rostan has been paid $1,356,194.99 on task orders dating from September 4, 2019 to the present. Bennett said some PWs were written without project-management fees and can be “versioned” to add eligible management costs if time extensions and schedules are approved.

Board members asked who signs the district’s time-extension submissions; Bennett said signatory authority historically has been the district CFO. Rostan said it will provide draft extensions and requested the district sign and return them so Rostan can submit to the state for review and onward to FEMA.

Several board members pressed for a short action plan. Bennett offered to produce a plan of action with impacts and timelines and attend the board’s Oct. 28 meeting to present it in person. Jeremy Landry, Rostan’s local representative, was also present and said he could be at the district “next week” to help compile documents.

Concerns raised by board members included: long-standing turnover in district leadership and in FEMA staff, unclear or missing project invoices and proof-of-payment documentation held in offsite or poorly maintained records, and an expired master services agreement and task orders that the board said should be resolved before further work continues. Several board members said they were frustrated that the board had not been kept better informed of delays over multiple years.

Bennett recommended immediately compiling project schedules, invoices and evidence of work started (even professional services or design activity) to speed state- and FEMA-side approval of extensions. He said many extensions are approved quickly once the state sees evidence that work has begun.

Board members also asked whether Rostan is working with other districts experiencing similar delays; Bennett said many applicants across FEMA regions have seen multi-year delays and turnover in program delivery managers, with the degree of delay varying by region and disaster.

Ending: The board asked Rostan to return with a written plan and to bring the master service agreement and task orders for review. Rostan committed to being on-site to start document compilation next week and to present an action plan at the board’s October meeting.