Assemblyman Brindisi announces local costs of Hurricane Irene-Tropical Storm Lee to be covered by state

State to assume $400,000 of recovery efforts here in the Mohawk Valley

April 11, 2012

Assemblyman Anthony J. Brindisi (D-Utica) announced that Governor Cuomo has directed the state to cover the local share of costs associated with Hurricane Irene-Tropical Storm Lee response and recovery, saving Mohawk Valley taxpayers approximately $430,000.

"Our communities continue to need assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene-Tropical Storm Lee and now thanks to the governor’s leadership property taxpayers will not bear the burden of these unforeseen costs." Assemblyman Brindisi said

Typically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) covers 75 percent of eligible disaster response and relief costs, with the remaining 25 percent being the equal responsibility of the state and localities. Before the governor stepped in and directed funds from the state and secured additional funds from the federal level – measures supported by Assemblyman Brindisi – Oneida County was obligated to pay over 12 percent of the estimated $3.4 million in recovery costs. That will no longer be the case.

“Both Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee hit our community hard,” Assemblyman Brindisi said. “Knowing that our already cash-strapped municipalities won’t have to their limited budgets to complete clean-up efforts is a sigh of relief for taxpayers.”

Under the governor’s direction, the state will pick up the local share for most eligible expenses, making $61 million available to 25 counties throughout the state, including Oneida County, to cover costs associated with emergency shelter, road, infrastructure and water-systems repair, stream and river mitigation, and other clean-up projects, Brindisi noted.

Assemblyman Brindisi is further fighting for additional relief for the Mohawk Valley. In March, he sponsored legislation that would provide municipalities and local school districts with the authority to issue serial bonds to help pay for flood-relief measures and that would provide them with additional flexibility in determining how to finance expenses (A.9211).

“This relief is a great step toward full recovery for our community, but there’s more to be done,” Assemblyman Brindisi said. “That’s why I’ll work to push my legislation forward to provide additional relief and allow our local communities to best decide how money should be spent close to home.”

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