SILVERHILL, Alabama — The Silverhill Town Council took action and discussed other issues at its regular meeting Monday, Oct. 5 in an ongoing effort to recover from Hurricane Sally.
Mayor Jared Lyles said the council voted Monday to secure a 1-year, $800,000 line of credit with United Bank for the sole purpose of paying the cost for debris removal in anticipation of being reimbursed by FEMA.
“The total cost of debris removal has been estimated at about $1.2 million,” Lyles said.
In 2004, following Hurricane Ivan, FEMA reimbursed municipalities about 75 percent of the total cost. Another 15 percent was reimbursed by the state of Alabama, leaving municipalities to cover the remaining 10 percent.
Lyles said it typically takes FEMA about 60 to 90 days to reimburse the cost of cleanup.
“We just want to make sure that our costs are covered in the meantime,” Lyles said.
The council also addressed flooding and drainage concerns caused by the storm with several residents during the meeting, Lyles said.
“What we have done is that we have created a survey that residents will be able to fill out to address flooding concerns,” Lyles said. “It will not only help us identify where those areas are, it will also provide documentation for any possible grants for drainage improvements that we could apply for in the future.”
I copy of the survey is available on the town’s Facebook page, Lyles said. Copies will also be distributed along with residents’ utility bills.
A lease purchase agreement for a new fire truck was also presented to the council Oct. 5 for review and the council voted to renew its SRO contract with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department.
