Politics & Government

Mayor: Hurricane Sandy Overtime Cost 'Staggering'

Comprehensive costs still being tallied over one month after late Oct. superstorm.

Overtime costs associated with Hurricane Sandy will cost Northport over $210,000, said Mayor George Doll.

"The hours and the amount of money is staggering," he said at a Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday. The total includes $130,703 in highway department and sewer overtime and $79,705 in police overtime.

Doll said FEMA may reimburse 75 to 80 percent of the total figure, but is unsure when the village will actually see the money in the coffers. He noted that taken over a year to receive Hurricane Irene reimbursements. 

Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I would not like to wait a year to get back our share of that $200,000," he said.

Doll said that he is discussing the possibility of a preliminary payment on the overtime costs, though he has not yet received an answer from FEMA.

Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Related: Hurricane Sandy Slams Northport

The deadline for submitting overtime costs to FEMA for reimbursement is not set at this point, according to Village Administrator Gene Guido. He added that, in some municipalities, returning to pre-storm conditions could take up to 18 months.

Northport will not take that long to return to pre-storm conditions, however, and the numbers can be submitted to FEMA sooner rather than later. "We were way ahead of other areas in terms of cleaning stuff up," said Doll.

Other costs incurred by the village during Hurricane Sandy are still being tallied. Guido said FEMA will reimburse based on the same percentages.

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