Beaufort County policy would help clear hurricane debris from private communities

Beaufort County Council's Public Facilities Committee approved a measure Tuesday that proponents say will streamline cleanup of hurricane debris from private roads.

The outstanding question is who -- private communities or the county -- will pay associated costs.

After a major hurricane, county staff's first step will be to push debris off roadways, including private ones, to restore access for emergency vehicles, solid waste director Jim Minor told the committee.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials will then decide whether the agency will pay to remove debris from private property.

FEMA policy states that such cleanup is usually the responsibility of the owner, but the work may qualify for federal aid if widespread damage threatens the community's health, safety or economic recovery.

Under a policy approved by the committee, the county can help communities gain that approval and then assist them with cleanup.

However, FEMA might only reimburse 75 percent of the cost.

Staff's recommendation is that property owners pay the remainder.

John Cashen of the Marsh Association, which represents about a half-dozen communities on both sides of the Broad River, said the policy is a step in the right direction that will give leaders a blueprint for post-hurricane cleanup.

However, Cashen argued the county should cover the full cleanup cost.

After the meeting, he said private communities save the county money by building and maintaining their own roads, but residents pay the same millage.

He said the communities are an "economic engine" for the county, and he worried some might go bankrupt if they can't afford to pay that portion of clean-up costs.

"We need the county and the county needs us, the way I look at it," Cashen said.

Minor said the Town of Hilton Head Island's policy is to cover all of the cost.

Beaufort, Bluffton and Port Royal are covered by the county under memoranda of agreement, so private communities in those areas will be affected by the county's policy, he said.

The measure passed 5-1, with Councilman Herbert Glaze opposed, and it will be debated by the full council at its next meeting.

Follow reporter Kyle Peterson at twitter.com/EyeOnBeaufortCo.

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