Bulk of Irene Funds Unneeded and Unspent in Westbrook

WESTBROOK - In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, town leaders knew that bills for municipal road and facility repairs, for extra town staff labor hours, and other costs, would soon be due. Fortunately, time has shown that the bill will be less than anticipated.

After the storm, town crews spent many hours moving sand off town roads. The town beach parking lot and retaining walls were badly damaged by the storm and needed to be rebuilt. To cover these known, but then as-yet uncalculated, expenses, a vote at Town Meeting appropriated a sum of $400,000.

Once a federal emergency was declared after the storm, the town then became eligible to apply for reimbursement of the town's real storm-related costs through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Last month, the town completed and filed the final installment of its applications to FEMA for reimbursement. Under the rules of FEMA funding, the town will be reimbursed for 75 percent of storm-related eligible costs it incurred. Four categories of town spending are covered: debris removal, emergency measures, building damage restoration, and municipal facilities repair and restoration.

Finance Director Andrew Urban informed the Board of Selectmen last month that the amount of storm-related spending the town had was less than originally anticipated. The total amount the town spent was $219,451, of which FEMA will reimburse the town $164,588. When the FEMA payments plus the town's $60,000 in ineligible costs are considered, $339,870 of the $400,000 the town approved will remain unspent.

The good news for the town is that the net sum of $339,870 will now return to be deposited in the town's capital non-recurring fund.

"The town appropriated $400,000 and all but $60,000 of the funds the town spent in storm response will be reimbursed," said Urban.

Urban explained that the town's capital non-recurring fund, after this deposit, will have a total of $718,000 reserved and available to meet the town's capital project needs.

As the town moves into budget season, this piece of financial news is one the selectmen welcomed.