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Board authorizes up to $16 million for Helene debris removal, expects FEMA reimbursement
Summary
Haywood County approved a grant ordinance to add up to $16 million (plus an $11 million fund‑balance amendment) for debris removal after Hurricane Helene; county staff said waterway debris removal has already processed roughly 900,000 linear feet and about 82,000 cubic yards to date and that FEMA reimbursement is expected but not guaranteed.
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners approved a grant ordinance and a revised not‑to‑exceed agreement with contractor SDR that adds $16,000,000 in appropriations and an additional $11,000,000 of FY26 fund balance to cover debris removal related to Hurricane Helene. Deputy County Manager Chris Boyd said the funds are intended to cover work done between April and May before the state assumed parts of the cleanup, and that the county expects FEMA reimbursement for the work.
Boyd said the county previously converted waterway and private‑property debris removal programs to the state’s North Carolina Emergency Management SmartGrants to reduce county exposure, but that a gap remained between April and the handoff. "We are left with filling the gap from the time we approved the waterway debris removal in April until we were able to hand it off to the state," Boyd said.
Boyd reported that as of the prior week crews had cleared approximately 900,000 linear feet of waterway and about 82,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris, and estimated a total waterway debris volume of roughly 1.25–1.5 million cubic yards. Commissioners discussed the ongoing work pace — Boyd said crews were running 10–13 crews and working seven days a week — and emphasized that FEMA approvals for previously submitted packages gave some confidence but not an absolute guarantee of full reimbursement.
A motion to approve the ordinance was moved, seconded and approved unanimously.
