Arkansas counties impacted by the destruction brought with the spring storms and flooding are now looking at a new wrinkle in the reimbursement funding percentage historically available from the state following federally declared disasters.
In a director’s memo to county judges less than 30 days before the flooding, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management advised as of January 2017 the state of Arkansas will no longer reimburse the non-federal cost share on new federally declared disasters. Historically, 12.5 percent of the eligible clean-up cost could be requested from the state, with an equal match expected by the county, and the remaining 75 percent coming from the federal government.
ADEM’s deputy public information officer Melody Daniel says traditionally the state has allocated $3 million annually for its share of the funding when a federal disaster is declared. Depending on the number of federal declarations, it has often been easy to surpass this amount in requests.
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Daniel says some counties don’t request reimbursement from the state under a federally declared disaster.
While Daniel says the state has cut funding in one area, it has increased the amount now available in its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, funds will be available for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards for all areas of the state.
It is from this grant program Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass hopes to address an ongoing problem that became an issue yet again in the April storms.
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Judge Pendergrass says the amount of the grant to be requested is still being determined. But he adds he has committed to the residents in that part of the county to have the information when he holds his town hall meeting July 27 at the Cotter-Gassville Rural Fire Department.
Pendergrass says by securing the grant funds, the county is seeking to resolve the long-standing issue with the Denton Ferry Bridge, if not for the last time, at least hoping it will not be a problem as frequently as it has been in the past few years.
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