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Property owner who patched washout seeks reimbursement; council debates using FEMA funds and proposes $4,000 payment
Summary
A Newland resident told the council he made emergency repairs to a washout on Pershing Street and asked to be reimbursed; council members and staff debated whether FEMA funds can be used to pay a private contractor and one council member proposed a $4,000 good-faith payment, with no vote recorded in the transcript.
A resident who said he repaired a washout on Pershing Street urged the Newland Town Council to reimburse him after the town initially lacked funds to make the emergency repair.
"It's your road. It's your road," the resident (Resident (S5)) told the council, describing multiple businesses and homes that temporarily lost access and saying he acted to prevent a far costlier culvert replacement. He said he has photos and videos of the damage and the stopgap work.
Town staff and council members acknowledged the town has received FEMA funds for storm repairs but said the grant covers several projects combined and is intended to pay for permanent town repairs, not necessarily direct reimbursement to a private individual. "They gave us money to fix it correctly," said the water-department official (Water department official (S8)).
During the discussion, a staff member (Staff member (S6)) said the individual who carried out repairs had been told multiple times he was not authorized to obligate the town and that obligations must be audited. "You are not obligated. You cannot obligate the town," the staff member said, describing the town's procurement and audit constraints.
Several council members and staff weighed the competing concerns: the town's legal and FEMA constraints, the need to keep the road passable, and the precedent of reimbursing a private individual for emergency work. Council member (Council member (S7)) proposed a compromise: authorize a $4,000 good-faith payment now, with the possibility of paying another $2,500 later if FEMA proceeds and other project costs allow it. "I propose that we ... give him $4,000 in good faith," Council member (S7) said. The motion intent is recorded in the transcript, but a formal second and vote are not recorded.
Town manager (Town manager (S2)) explained that the FEMA award for the relevant period is a single total across three projects (Virgin Street, TT and town sidewalks) rather than line-itemized by street, complicating per-street accounting. "It doesn't itemize them. It's a total for three," the town manager said.
Council members discussed alternatives including waiting for bids for permanent repairs and reviewing available funds in the spring. One council member recommended allotting $4,000 now upon completion of other projects and revisiting the remaining $2,500 later if money remains.
The council did not record a final vote on reimbursement in the transcript provided. Next steps discussed included obtaining formal bids for Pershing Street repair in the spring and clarifying whether FEMA documentation could legally support a reimbursement to the resident.
Ending: The board discussed procedural next steps — obtaining bids for permanent repairs and reviewing FEMA accounting — but the transcript does not record a final decision or a roll-call vote on the proposed $4,000 payment.
