The City of Orange will provide a one-time pickup for Harvey debris from businesses and non-profit groups, the city council decided Tuesday.
Mayor Jimmy Sims said FEMA last week sent the city a letter saying the agency will reimburse the costs for businesses and non-profits that do not have insurance to cover the debris pickup.
City Manager Dr. Shawn Oubre said the businesses and groups will have to show they do not have insurance and sign an agreement for the pickup.
A number of businesses paid for roll-off containers and commercial waste companies to take away their debris after they were told two months ago FEMA would not pick up their debris.
“I do have concerns for the businesses that have already paid,” Sims said after the meeting.
He said he would look into reimbursing those businesses, “but there’s no guarantee.”
FEMA is supposed to reimburse the city for 90 percent of the costs of debris pickup. Orange County is going to pay the other 10 percent. The county’s contractor is picking up debris in all the other cities in the county. Orange was the only city with a pre-storm contract in place for recovery. The county also had a pre-storm contract.
During the meeting, Oubre said the city has already spent $2 million for storm recovery. He said emergencies are the reason for saving reserve funds in a budget.
He said the first round of debris pickup for residences is nearly complete. The city plans to make one more pickup round for neighborhoods.
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