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Staff briefed council on joining Lane County debris-management agreement to streamline disaster cleanup
Summary
City Administrator Max Baker outlined a proposed extension of Lane County's debris-management IGA that would allow the county to issue RFPs for wide-area debris services, simplify FEMA reimbursement qualification and be customized for Lowell's limited access needs; councilors said they would consider joining and Baker will return with recommendations.
City Administrator Max Baker told the council that Lane County is proposing an extension to its intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to let the county seek vendors and establish a countywide debris-management and monitoring agreement. The proposed approach is intended to make post-disaster debris handling (for events similar to the 2019 snowstorm) faster and to preserve eligibility for FEMA reimbursement.
Baker said the IGA extension would simplify competitive-quote processes, allow tailoring for Lowell’s unique needs (for example clearing roads or removing debris from staging areas) and help ensure qualification for FEMA reimbursement. "During the 2019 storm, city staff and volunteers had to manage debris cleanup themselves over a three-week period," Baker said, describing local experience that motivates the change.
Council members recalled that the FEMA reimbursement process could be time-consuming but noted that procedural streamlining and an active SAM registration should make future reimbursements smoother. Mr. Dragt confirmed that Lowell has no existing agreements that would duplicate the county’s proposed arrangement. Baker said the item would return to a regular meeting for a formal decision after the council provided any feedback.
