In the weekly podcast from City Hall, Watonga City Manager Karrie Little explained why there are still limbs littering yards and alleys.
“The city has to be declared a disaster area for the city (to be reimbursed) to pick up limbs,” she said. “The crews clean the streets and fallen trees are moved onto the property (from which they fell).”
It is then the responsibility of the property owner to remove the downed trees, limbs and debris. However, the town has opened the transfer station south of town from 8-5 Monday through Friday for the disposal of limbs and brush.
The city can pick up the storm debris, but there is a $ 140 fee which is set by FEMA - the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Little doesn’t really expect many residents to access that service at that price.
“I would hope we could be a little more neighborly and help each other out,” she said.
The mindset of placing the fallen tree limbs on the curb is ingrained in residents’ thinking because there was a time when the city garbage crews did collect the debris. However, when the garbage collection was outsourced in February to Veteran’s Waste Services, that collection ceased.
There was a declaration of disaster for the April 19-20 storms, however they were only in effect in McClain and Pottawatomie counties.
In the event of a declaration of disaster, a location will be allowed to apply for federal reimbursement of cleanup costs, usually at a 2575% cost share with the towns bearing the smaller burden. However, there has to be sufficient damage in an area for the declaration to be made. Blaine County and Watonga were far below the damage threshold to gain funding.