At the November 4 county commission meeting, commissioners approved a contract for Hurricane Helene debris removal with SDR, the company that has been handling all of the debris removal since the storm. The county entered into an emergency contract with SDR in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. Now, said county administrator Wesley Vickers, it’s time to sign the standard request for proposal (RFP) with a contractor.
Five entities submitted proposals. Those five were ranked by Vickers, county EMA director and fire chief Steve Carver, and city manager Charlie Davis. SDR received the highest ranking, said Vickers. “They’ve been doing a good job. So far, they’ve gotten over 600,000 cubic yards picked up and there’s still a lot out there to get. We are working with the state to hopefully extend our 90-day FEMA reimbursement to 180 days,” stated Vickers.
After approving the debris removal contract, commissioners had to approve a similar contract for debris monitoring services. The county had entered into an emergency contract with Debris Tech right after the storm. When they sent out the RFP, only Debris Tech responded. As a result, commissioners approved the contract with Debris Tech, the only company that submitted a proposal. “We only get reimbursed if prove we picked it up in the right place and the right amount,” said Vickers. “They’re doing a good job and they’ve got a good program.”
After those two items, there was another debris-related issue to settle. The county is the lead agency for the debris removal and will handle all payments for the service. However, if FEMA does not reimburse the county in full for the removal then the county, along with all the cities, will have to share the costs. The county approved another memorandum of understanding, this one between the counties and the cities, explaining the next steps should that happen.
Commissioners also approved a resolution to pay salaried employees overtime for their work during Hurricane Helene. FEMA recognizes this and will reimburse an organization for overtime incurred during a declared disaster if such a policy exists in writing. The county does not have such a policy. With Helene, the county would pay the overtime out of its coffers. However, the county will have a policy in writing for future disasters which will allow FEMA reimbursement for overtime pay.
The county also approved the following other items of business:
- The purchase of a fire truck from Fouts Brothers for $488,407;
- Listing six patrol vehicles from the sheriff’s office on govdeals.com;
- A couple of items, including a public hearing, related to the closure and sale of Boca Drive in Baymeadows to Terry and Patricia Wells;
- The first reading of a rezoning request from Seven Acres Properties for 31.21 acres on Iron Road from R2, Residential and C, Commercial to R4, Residential, for the purposes of a subdivision. Seven Acres had made this request earlier in the year but the county had declined the request due to concerns over exactly what kind of homes would be in the subdivision. “We decided to add another category to our zoning that would allow for this kind of development for either stick built or modular houses. So this will be either a stick built or modular development,” said Vickers. The county will conduct the second reading and public hearing at the December meeting.