Coffee County ratifies emergency debris contracts and buys $395,000 water tanker after Hurricane Helene

The Coffee County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7 unanimously ratified and expanded emergency contracts tied to Hurricane Helene recovery and approved the immediate purchase of a portable water tanker.

Chief Steve Carver, who briefed the board on recovery operations, thanked community organizations and county staff for response efforts and outlined debris‑removal work. County Administrator Wesley Vickers said Southern Disaster Recovery had been working under an emergency contract originally capped at $2,000,000 and that the county was already about halfway to that amount. "We are already halfway there and therefore the County needs to ratify the contract and also amend this contract not to exceed $10,000,000.00," Vickers said. The board voted to ratify and amend the Southern Disaster Recovery contract to a $10,000,000 cap under the county's declared emergency.

Vickers said Debris Tech is serving as an independent monitor of Southern Disaster Recovery's loads to certify work for FEMA reimbursement. The commission ratified an amendment increasing Debris Tech's contract from $500,000 to a not‑to‑exceed $2,000,000. Vickers added the county will issue a Request for Proposal within 30 days to move to a routine procurement once the immediate emergency period ends.

The board also ratified a $500,000 contract with ER Assist to administer recovery projects. Vickers said FEMA will reimburse eligible expenses incurred during the first 90 days of the emergency.

On a separate emergency motion, the commission approved purchasing a portable water tanker for Fire/EMA from Fouts for $395,000. Vickers said the purchase was needed to provide water to areas of the county that lacked service after the storm and to supply livestock; a second bid from Ten 8 was $497,672. Commissioner Ted O’Steen moved to approve the Fouts bid; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

All votes recorded at the meeting were unanimous among the four commissioners present (Chairman Jimmy Kitchens, Vice Chairman Johnny Wayne Jowers, Commissioner AJ Dovers and Commissioner Ted O’Steen); Commissioner Oscar Paulk was absent.

Next steps noted by staff include issuing an RFP within 30 days for debris removal procurement and pursuing FEMA reimbursement for eligible expenses incurred during the emergency period.