FEMA on the Hook for 90 Percent Sandy Reimbursement

Garden City officials learned this month that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide the village with a 90 percent reimbursement to help offset expenses incurred because of Superstorm Sandy.

Village auditor Jim Olivo said he received confirmation in early June. There's one question still left unanswered however: What will Garden City's balance be?

"We have been in contact with the state emergency management office and they have not yet commited as to whether they will pick up 10 percent, 5 percent or nothing so we really don't know what the final outcome is," he said.

"The good news is is that the federal [level] is going to pick up 90 percent which is due to the fact that the volume of loss within the state was so high ... We are fortunate that that has happened. The real question is is the state going to pick up a proportionate share or are they going to pick up more than the proportionate share. We don't know our share but it's good news because it's at least 2.5 percent lower than it would've been."

Trustee Richard Silver, commissioner of finance, said the working assumption on the federal level was 87.5 percent. In February, it was announced that FEMA would pay 75 percent of Garden City's storm expenses, with the village and state both still on the hook for 12.5 percent of total expenditures. Once federal obligations meet or exceed $133 per capita of the state’s population -- $2.6 billion in the case of New York -- FEMA can recommend the President adjust the federal cost-share from 75 percent to 90 percent, according to Sen. Charles Schumer's office.

Olivo said the village has submitted all claims to date with the exception of some capital work not yet completed. Public Works director Robert Mangan noted that street lighting expenditures are still being processed. Those items will be added to the list. The village has 14 or 18 months to complete submissions, Olivo added.

The village submitted $6.7 million in damages and has received two commitment letters indicating it will be getting $4,737,451.77 million in federal funding.

"Some is at 75 percent ($4,513,.696.45) and the other 90 percent ($223,755.32). These payments cover debris removal and emergency services," Olivo told Patch via email. "This data is only as good as this moment as funds are really starting to come in ... Sometime in the near future there will be payments to raise the federal share to 90 percent, and that will be over $900,000 more."

The $4.5 million reimbursement will go towards force account labor, force account equipment and contract labor used to collect and transport 29,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris as well as downed trees throughout the village.

"We've received some money," Olivo said. "A very first partial payment of $160,000."

"That's very partial. That's like a deck chair on the Queen Mary," Mayor John Watras said, adding he appreciates Olivo "staying on top of this."