Burke County says FEMA review has stalled $11M in reimbursements; county disputes monitoring data

Burke County officials on Monday told the Board of Commissioners that a lengthy federal review of the county's public‑assistance claim following last year's storm has left roughly $11.4 million in paid costs awaiting final reimbursement.

County manager (speaker 4) said the county's application, which initially covered multiple FEMA categories and focused largely on debris management (Category A), currently shows only about $12,000 received toward an $11.4 million pay‑out the county has already made. "This process has been rigorous," he told the board, describing repeated changes in FEMA doctrine, rotating FEMA project managers and a multi‑tier CRC review that examines legal, environmental and financial documentation.

The application reached FEMA's large‑project review — required for projects over certain dollar thresholds — but the county was returned to earlier review steps after FEMA questioned monitoring-company invoices. In particular, about 43% of the county's monitoring invoices reported hauling trailers that were "90% full." FEMA reviewers have told the county that the trailers could not plausibly be that full and are pushing for lower fullness assumptions; the county manager warned that reductions to those reported volumes could reduce reimbursements by "several $100,000." He said the monitoring company, DebrisTech, has engaged attorneys and is in legal discussions with FEMA attorneys.

The manager outlined the timeline of federal cost shares: roughly $7.6 million paid during the first six months of the recovery was treated as 100% eligible under an initial six‑month executive direction, and additional costs are subject to other cost‑share arrangements with the state. He also said the county had engaged state programs such as the NC Smart transition for debris operations and worked with state procurement contracts and monitoring contractors licensed to report volumes.

Commissioners asked about the county's lost investment income from spending the cash, and the manager acknowledged there will be some impact on investment return but did not quantify a final amount. Commissioner Rodney Burns noted the county had engaged Congressman Moore's office and had seen movement after that outreach.

What happens next: the county manager said staff and the county's monitoring company are pursuing legal remedies and working with FEMA to return to the large‑project review and secure an obligation. The item remains under active review and will return with updates when more reimbursements are obligated by FEMA.