Cleanup funds for ’05 storms on the way

AUGUSTA – Cities and towns in 11 Maine counties will finally get funds owed them for the cleanup from a series of spring storms last year under an agreement reached by Gov. John Baldacci and legislative leaders.

But there is not yet agreement on changing existing law to allow the governor to access surplus funds for the floods that occurred last week in York County.

“We are going to meet that responsibility and it is going to be taken care of,” Baldacci said. “We have the resources available – it’s just working with the Legislature to get the language passed to allow us to access the surplus.”

The governor says there is $100 million in the state’s budget stabilization – or rainy day – fund, and that will grow when the expected surplus is determined this summer. Finance Commissioner Becky Wyke has estimated that the revenue surplus could be as much as $60 million when all the revenues are counted after the fiscal year ends on June 30.

Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford, one of the lead Republicans on the Appropriations Committee, has proposed using $1.3 million from the anticipated surplus to pay the bills from last year’s storms and flooding in several counties.

“This needs to be a priority,” he said Sunday. “The local communities have met their share and the federal government has met their 75 percent. The state needs to pay its share.”

Rep. Glenn Cummings, D-Portland, the House Democratic leader, said Millett’s proposal has the support of bipartisan leadership.

“I think the $1.3 million is solid,” he said. “The governor is committed to it and the bipartisan leadership is committed to it.”

From March 29, 2005, to May 3, 2005, most of the state was hit with severe storms, flooding and ice jams. President Bush issued a disaster declaration for 11 counties on June 29, 2005. That allowed the federal aid to pay for 75 percent of the cleanup and repairs, said Art Cleaves, director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency.

“We certainly hope the Legislature acts on this,” he said. “This is a debt. For some towns, it is a lot of money.”

For example, MEMA records indicate Blue Hill in Hancock County is owed $22,336.18 and Oxford County is owed $32,626.51, with the largest unpaid bill of $44,446.19 owed to Fayette in Kennebec County.

Cleaves said he and Bill Libby, commissioner of Maine Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, have long urged the Legislature to create a disaster relief fund that the governor could tap to cover the state’s share of disaster mitigation.

Earlier this year, the Legislature’s Committee on Homeland Security approved creating such a disaster relief fund and agreed to use $500,000 each year from surplus until it reached a cap of $3 million.

“We were listening,” said Sen. Ethan Strimling, a Portland Democrat and co-chairman of the committee. “We created a disaster fund, but it will not have enough money to meet the need now, let alone after we get all the figures in from the York County floods.”

The scope of the damage in York County is still being assessed, but combined damage to public properties in cities and towns is estimated at more than $7 million. Transportation Commissioner David Cole told York County lawmakers on Monday that damage to roads and bridges is still being assessed.

“This takes awhile to do,” he said. “We have to wait for the water to go down enough for the experts to do their job.”

Cole said the state will need to pay 20 percent of the cost of road and bridge repairs with the rest covered by the Federal Highway Administration emergency program.

Baldacci is now urging lawmakers to increase the contribution to the disaster relief fund by taking the full $3 million from the expected surplus at the end of this fiscal year to give him the flexibility to handle the expected costs of the York County cleanup without having to call a special session or delaying payments until the new Legislature takes office next December.

“Leadership wants to get this done, and I think the Legislature will want to get this done,” Baldacci said. “We have the resources, we need to address this.”

Millett said he supports the concept of what the governor is proposing, but he wants to see the actual language of the proposal before agreeing to support it.