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Politics & Government

Sierra Madre Pays $695K Out-of-Pocket for Windstorm

Facing no state or federal aid for the 2011 windstorm, the city has dipped into its reserves to cover damages and recovery efforts.

The City Council moved Tuesday to use General Fund monies and Facilities-Internal Services funds to cover $695,000 in damages and costs from the devastating windstorm that swept through Sierra Madre at the end of November 2011.

The windstorm caused 150 downed trees, 5,500 tons of debris that covered streets as well as public and private property, plus power outages at city buildings and throughout the town that, in some cases, lasted for seven days.

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Despite L.A. County declaring a County emergency and the State declaring a local emergency, no federal or state funding is available to assist Sierra Madre and other cities. This forces Sierra Madre to dip into their own funds to cover the cost.

City Staff have estimated that the storm cost approximately $1.2 million in damages and recovery efforts (less than their ). This number is only for costs directly incurred by the city and does not include damage to private property.

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Council members were forced Tuesday to decide what recovery efforts they should fund at this time. Some costs were non-negotiable, as services had already been retained during the storm aftermath.

Here’s how the $695,000 breaks down:

$511,000 of immovable windstorm costs. This money was already spent during windstorm recovery and was non-negotiable. It's broken up as follows:

  • $190,000 in Athens services – 5,500 tons of debris, including trees, branches and leaves, needed to be removed from city streets.
  • $142,000 in staff costs – the city used 3,500 hours of staff time including 1000 hours of overtime to deal with the storm.
  • $95,000 in arborist and tree services – the city lost 150 trees and many others sustained damage from 40-70mph wind.
  • $59,000 in electrical and generator costs – three generators (including one rented portable generator) powered city buildings and the city water supply for several days.
  • $25,000 in miscellaneous supplies and services.

Council members then decided to spend an additional $184,000 on the following:

  • $75,000 for trimming of trees. There is still a need for branches to be trimmed around town.
  • $75,000 for the purchase of a portable generator. The generator could back up the two existing generators the city has or serve as a power source for the Community Center during an emergency. The idea is that the Community Center could be used as a shelter. Sierra Madre rented a third generator after the windstorm.
  • $25,000 for the maintenance of the city's existing two generators. The council decided to repair the generators the city has instead of purchasing two new ones.
  • $9,000 for repairing the City Hall and Police Department roofs, which were damaged during the storm. The council opted to patch up the roofs instead of replacing them entirely.

$595,000 of this money will come from General Fund reserves, and $100,000 will come from the Facilities-Internal Services fund. Prior to this expenditure, City Manager Elaine Aguilar said that there was about $4.5 million in the General Fund.

Council members decided to hold off on allocating any money for replanting of trees or hiring an arborist. They indicated they would like to discuss options for a tree replacement program with the Tree Commission first. So more city money could be spent on windstorm recovery in the near future.

The Council, particularly Josh Moran and MaryAnn MacGillivray, wrestled with whether to spend this money, as General Fund monies can’t be replaced with the snap of a finger. The task made them uneasy, particularly the purchase of a new generator.

However, Mayor John Buchanan adopted a “better safe than sorry” attitude.

“The next emergency could be something bigger,” Buchanan said. “We have to take advantage of the foresight this emergency gave us.”

Will the City Receive Aid?

There is a small possibility that the city could be reimbursed for at least part of these costs.

City Staff is pursuing a windstorm claim with the Federal Highway Authority, and there is a slim chance that they could receive up to $100,000. However, the funding is in no way guaranteed.

Additionally, Mayor Buchanan along with six other San Gabriel Valley mayors have made a formal request to Governor Jerry Brown to reconsider providing state funds for windstorm reimbursement.

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