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Fayetteville board weighs mayoral authority to sign FEMA safe-room contract amid funding questions
Summary
City staff asked the board to authorize the mayor to sign a FEMA hazard-mitigation contract for a school safe room; members agreed to move the item to the Tuesday meeting but demanded proof the federal/state funds are securely available before granting signature authority.
Fayetteville staff asked the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to allow the mayor to sign a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program contract needed to resume a delayed school safe-room project and to trigger requests for additional reimbursements.
Project staff said the contract must be signed to request additional funds and to secure extensions that have already been used once; without a signed contract the city cannot seek reimbursements that the contractor is holding. Eric Jones, who led the presentation, said the federal/state process has created repeated delays and that each day of delay risks higher costs and lost reimbursements.
Board members repeatedly pressed staff for proof that the federal and state funds are already in an account that cannot be rescinded. “I just want that confirmation,” one alderman said, asking staff to confirm whether the federal award is already segregated in state custody so the city would not be left exposed to a rescission. Project staff and two outside consultants said the award letter exists and that the state (TIMA/TEMA) is administering the funds, but several members said they wanted direct verification from the state before permitting the mayor to sign.
The mayor told the board she does not consider herself authorized to unilaterally sign contracts that obligate the city without board approval. “I do not have the authorization to sign this contract. The board gives me permission to sign it, so I will not sign anything that would…” she said, explaining the charter’s requirement that the board approve binding contracts.
Board members discussed procedural options including calling TEMA/TIMA for immediate confirmation and adding the matter to Tuesday’s formal meeting for a vote. Several members said they would expect documentation showing the federal money is in state custody and available for reimbursement if the contract is executed. Staff committed to contacting the state and to provide that confirmation to the board before the Tuesday vote.
Next step: the board moved the item to the Tuesday meeting and asked staff to secure written confirmation from the state agency administering the award and to circulate those documents to aldermen in advance of the vote.
