The Monroe County Council approved $500,000 Tuesday for cleaning storm debris.
The funding will go to Bluestone Tree in Bloomington to continue cleanup from the June 25 storm. The county has allocated a total of $840,000 toward efforts. County Emergency Management Director Jamie Neibel said the county can be reimbursed for the cleanup expenses.
“Looks like we're going to exceed our county threshold,” she said. “That makes us eligible for state fund reimbursement.”
Neibel expects slightly more than a third of the costs to be reimbursed through the State Disaster Relief Fund, operated by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. She said federal reimbursement is unlikely, though, since the affected counties didn’t meet a damage threshold.
Neibel said she’s unsure if the full amount will be needed but she said it's unlikely additional funding will be requested. She also said cleanup is on schedule.
“We have finished Perry Township, Van Buren Township and Clear Creek, and began pickup in Richland and Bloomington Township,” Neibel said.
Debris pickup is scheduled for Richland and Bloomington Townships until Aug. 21. Salt Creek Township is scheduled for Aug. 21-28, and Polk Township for Aug. 28-Sept. 4.
Read more: Monroe County OK's additional $240K for storm debris cleanup