Ansonia is hoping to see some federal reimbursement for costs it incurred during a massive snow storm in January.
City grants coordinator Eileen Krugel has been collecting receipts, and filling out paperwork to try to get some money back from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Krugel said the city spent about $96,000 on response costs from the January 11 – 12 snow storm.
FEMA declared the storm a disaster in March, and as a result, cities can apply to get some of their costs reimbursed.
Krugel said FEMA will reimburse about 75 percent of what it deems are acceptable costs.
“We’re in the process of solidifying all our numbers, all our documentation, and all our paperwork,” Krugel said.
Click here to read the Valley Indy coverage of the snow storm, which dumped 14 to 20 inches of snow onto the Valley.
The $96,000 estimate includes overtime, sand and salt costs, meal tickets for workers, and any contracts if the city brought in workers to help plow, Krugel said.
It also includes stipends for firefighters who helped shovel out fire hydrants after the storm, and the cost of using equipment, such as trucks and fire engines, during the storm.
It’s not clear if FEMA will consider all of those costs reimbursable, Krugel said. The types of work reimbursable from FEMA are listed on its website.
Krugel said FEMA isn’t reimbursing for snow removal on city roofs, but officials are hoping FEMA might declare it a second emergency so they can get help paying for those costs as well.
The school district alone incurred about $150,000 in snow removal costs to make sure the roofs were safe for students at schools. The unexpected costs helped push the district over budget for the 2010 – 2011 year.
