Hovey, Lyddy Agree:

State Can’t Fund Local Winter Cleanup

By John Voket

Newtown’s State Representatives Christopher Lyddy and DebraLee Hovey agree that municipalities should not expect the state to cover expenses for Connecticut’s historical bout of damaging winter weather.

Rep Hovey, whose 112th District covers one of Newtown’s southerly voting districts, said in a release this week that cities and towns should not expect any help on this front from Hartford. But Rep Lyddy, whose 106th District encompasses the rest of the town told The Newtown Bee that the state and possibly individual municipalities might be able to qualify for federal disaster assistance through FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“At the state level, we have our own issues with the overtime costs for winter storm response and cleanup,” Rep Lyddy said. “But towns and the state may be able to turn to FEMA for some relief.”

Unprecedented snowfall that has made 2011 the snowiest winter on record has also led to unprecedented costs for snow cleanup, blowing through municipal snow-removal budgets across the state, Rep Hovey pointed out.

Many towns and businesses are dealing with significant damage from the unusual amount of heavy snow, including building and structural damage and collapses.

“We really want to do our best to try to hold local towns harmless with regard to this awful winter, but in this economic crisis that may be difficult to do,” said Rep Hovey. “With the State of Connecticut having already exhausted its own snow removal resources well before the end of winter while facing a $3.5 billion budget deficit, it may be difficult to cover the entire bill for municipal cleanup.”

Rep Hovey she knows local leaders are doing all they can to be creative in addressing the winter cleanup costs, and acknowledged they will need to continue that effort.

“Obviously, when you are talking about snow removal, public safety is the first priority,” said Rep Hovey. “The state and the towns will always do what they need to do to make sure our roads are clear. You can’t always predict what the weather will deliver and certainly no one could have anticipated the rough winter we have been dealt thus far. When it comes time to pay the cost, however, this may truly be an example of shared sacrifice.”

Newtown Public Works Director Fred Hurley said he was waiting to see if the state and most or all of the state’s counties have met the preliminary threshold for FEMA disaster reimbursements, but an audit will be the final determining factor as to whether the state, or any of the counties were eligible to receive FEMA funding.

“We don’t count the money until the check is in hand,” he said. “Even if we hear an announcement that the state or the county has qualified, there is still an additional administrative layer of paperwork we have to apply before the funds are released. It’s frustrating for a lot of the taxpayers, but this is how the bureaucracy works.”