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Mitchell County authorizes RFQ for engineering to pursue Emergency Watershed Protection funds
Summary
County manager told commissioners the county may be eligible for $5–15 million in Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) funds and asked the board to authorize issuing an RFQ for engineering services; the board approved the authorization to be ready when federal funds arrive.
County manager Alan Cook briefed the board on recovery steps related to the recent storm and asked for authorization to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for engineering services to support Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) work.
Cook said the EWP program can fund streambank restoration and silt removal to reduce flood risk. He described the RFQ as a preparatory step so the county can select engineering services quickly when federal funds are available. Cook estimated a potential $10–$15 million in EWP money overall and said, "We feel very confident that we probably will be in that 5 to 7,000,000 at a minimum." He told the board the work would be run through the county while the USDA soil and water crew would perform much of the field work under the disaster program.
A motion to authorize staff to go out for an RFQ for engineering services was made, seconded and approved by the board. The manager said the authorization would not expend county funds now; it would allow the county to select engineers ahead of federal award to accelerate work when funding is confirmed.
Cook also updated the board on debris packets sent to FEMA (450 Mitchell County packets submitted for preapproval) and on other grant applications for emergency management facilities and mitigation studies.
