The Bloomington Board of Public Works approved $500,000 for pickup of debris from the June 25 storm during Tuesday’s meeting.
That included a contract worth $150,000 with Williams Tree Company that had been approved on June 28. But Public Works Director Adam Wason said more funding was necessary.
“We knew the 150 was just kind of a placeholder to get started,” he said.
A second contract with Williams, which is located southwest of Martinsville, was approved Tuesday worth $350,000. Wason said cleanup has begun in the most affected areas.
“It wasn't surprising that they had those higher costs in that first week and a half,” Wason said.
Wason said the city will seek reimbursement for the cleanup costs through a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declaration, though how much will be reimbursed isn’t known yet.
If the city meets requirements, FEMA will reimburse 75% of the costs. But if requirements aren’t met, then the Indiana Department of Homeland Security will reimburse up to 50%.
Read more: Monroe County will not accept any more requests for debris collection