Washington County expected to surpass $20 million in Helene relief

The Washington County Commission received a report from Mayor Joe Grandy on Hurricane Helene updates regarding ongoing projects, state and federal reimbursements at its meeting Monday. The full commission met for the last time before the Aug. 6 county general election. The board approved 20 of 22 resolutions on its agenda. Mayor's report During the meeting, Grandy presented a report on where the county stands with Hurricane Helene reimbursements, ongoing projects and new housing developments since the flood. He told officials the county has received slightly more than $13 million in reimbursements from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and expects to receive an additional $3 million over the coming weeks. The county has also received $6 million in reimbursements from National Resources Conservation. The county currently has about $65 million in projects, Grandy said. This includes the replacement of Corby Bridge, which will cost close to $30 million. He said more than $25 million in funds have been designated as expenditures for "distant projects" in the fiscal year budget. The majority of the funds are within the highway department's budget with some dollars in the solid waste and county general fund balances. "We're really attracting pretty well on recovery money versus expenditures," Grandy said. He also told officials the county has assisted in rebuilding 83 homes with another 18 under construction. "We lost 119 homes completely," Grandy said. "Within the two-year window, or maybe two-year and a few months, we will have rebuilt over 100 homes." Jonesborough disaster relief loan The full commission also approved a $4 million no-interest loan submission, acceptance and disbursement for the town of Jonesborough. The funds will be utilized to "address the significant damage to the water/wastewater system newly identified as resulting from the flooding" of Hurricane Helene, according to the resolution. The county has previously applied for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Assistance Loan (HEAL) program for Jonesborough in 2024 for more than $3 million. Municipalities are unable to apply for HEAL, which is why the county is applying as a "second borrower." If the loan is approved, Jonesborough can request the funds from the county. An interlocal agreement between the county and the town obliges Jonesborough to pay back 100% of the loan. Other agenda items Other agenda items approved by the full commission include, but are not limited to, the allocation of $218,000 in tourism funds for Visit Johnson City and the Town of Jonesborough and submission of up to three applications for a disaster relief community block development grant (CDBG-DR). The approval to allocate $218,000 of the $360,000 in tourism funds for the fiscal year to Visit Johnson City and the Town of Jonesborough's Tourism Department is funded as a special appropriation. Visit Johnson City requested $150,000 and the Town of Jonesborough's Tourism Department requested $68,000. The CDBG-DR grant provides funding for eligible local governments who were impacted by a federally declared disaster. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The county is eligible to apply up to three times for up to $4 million per application. The grant would help fund repairs and needed restorations related to Hurricane Helene damage. It can also be used for infrastructure improvement projects for disaster preparation and resilience. The next regular meeting of the Washington County Commission will be Aug. 31, 6 p.m. at the George P. Jaynes Justice Center.