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Irma forces OP to dip into surplus funds

Jesse Hollett
Posted 9/27/17

ORANGE PARK – Hurricane Irma has turned a more than $46,000 budget surplus into a $473,726 shortfall in the Town of Orange Park’s budget for the next fiscal year.

The budget, approved Sept. …

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Irma forces OP to dip into surplus funds


Posted

ORANGE PARK – Hurricane Irma has turned a more than $46,000 budget surplus into a $473,726 shortfall in the Town of Orange Park’s budget for the next fiscal year.

The budget, approved Sept. 19, took a hit from costs projected from the Hurricane, which blew through Clay County Sept. 11. Town officials estimated cleanup costs to run between $350,000 and $500,000.

Only calculating labor costs and contractors, the town has spent $255,000 to date on Hurricane Irma. That number is slightly less than the $271,000 spent after last October’s Hurricane Matthew.

“There’s a whole lot we don’t know yet,” said former town manager Jim Hanson.

Council member Ron Raymond proposed a motion to increase the budget by $500,000 to cover debris cleanup and other expenses expected to arise from the storm. The motion received unanimous support, as did another motion to vest the town manager with unlimited emergency spending power following the Hurricane.

Town Attorney Sam Garrison said the town manager has broad spending powers during an emergency that affects the normal $25,000 cap that can be spent without full council approval.

However, as time drags on, what can be considered an emergency can often become ambiguous.

By passing a motion to remove the spending cap that binds the town manager for matters relating directly to Hurricane Irma, the town manager has more license to direct town staff and make necessary purchases.

The town manager must now receive written approval from the mayor for each expenditure above the cap.

The town currently has 16 claims for damages on town-owned buildings. It is unknown at this time the extent of the damages on these buildings and the costs attached to them, however, Clarke Park House in particular took an odd hit.

The historical site off Kingsley Avenue shifted narrowly off its foundation during the storm.

A mix of federal and state money will perhaps reimburse the town for the costs born from the storm. However, it’s unclear when that windfall will come, considering the first reimbursements from Hurricane Matthew damages have yet to be paid out.

“We haven’t got the first penny of that yet, that’s the same as most cities across Florida, no one has gotten any Hurricane Matthew money yet, and it’s been basically a year,” Hanson said.

Town Council members thanked staff for their work during Irma.

Town staff, including fire, police and public works employees, worked throughout the hurricane. Hanson said one shift slept in their buildings while two shifts worked.

A public works employee was hospitalized from injuries sustained after a driver T-boned him as he turned onto Kingsley Avenue from Plainfield Avenue.

Town Clerk and incoming Town Manager Sarah Campbell said worker’s compensation covered the employee, but he will likely endure a lengthy recovery process. Public Works Director Chuck Pavlos said that all the waiting has the employee “bored,” and that the employee would prefer to be working.

“We’re just providing moral support at this point,” Campbell said.

“I do want to again echo the thoughts of what’s been said about our public works department and public safety department for what you did during this storm,” said Council member Gary Meeks. “That’s a big sacrifice – and this is what we pride our town on, that we’re a step above and we make the sacrifice.”