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Politics & Government

Southampton Town Sets Up Hurricane Irene Fund

Separate account better for books.

Following in lockstep with municipalities also facing natural disasters, last week set up a special fund for expenses relating to .

The fund is the best way to account for costs relating the storm and receive reimbursements from New York State and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Town Comptroller Tamara Wright told the Town Board last week. She said a Massachusetts municipality made a similar move following a tornado.

The town is anticipating a total of $700,000 to $750,000 in expenses relating to the storm, Wright told the board. The figure is not final, she said. Wright had a meeting with town departments last Thursday to shore up the number, and went to Suffolk County the same day to get more information on costs and receiving reimbursements.

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Wright and Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst did not return calls seeking updates or additional comment this week.

Southampton may be able to have up to 87 percent of the storm costs reimbursed by the federal and state governments, Throne-Holst said during the meeting. She said the county helped defray some of the costs by lending Southampton heavy-duty equipment.

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FEMA’s disaster declaration targeting Suffolk County was one of the main reasons why the town created the account, said Jen Garvey, Throne-Holst’s assistant.

“Everyone was given specific instructions about how to track the storm,” Garvey said.

The new account will initially be funded with $750,000 from the general fund, according to a copy of the law available online.

The costs from the late-August hurricane, which became a , relate to overtime for staff across town departments, heavy duty equipment rentals and cleanups, Wright said. Costs relating to food and building supplies at shelters will also be tallied in the figure.

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