Oxford and Addison residents and officials who believed the ice storms of April 4 through 7 caused an emergency or a disaster in their communities were apparently wrong. The State of Michigan said so.
Those who believed the affected communities should receive state financial assistance in light of the damage the storms caused were also wrong. Any and all funding was flatly denied by the governor.
‘I think it’s a sad day,? said Oxford Township Supervisor Bill Dunn of the state’s decision.. ‘If you ask the people of Oxford, Orion, Addison, Lapeer and Brandon who lived through (the storms), they’ll say there was an emergency here. So how can the state say there wasn’t??
An April 21 letter from Deputy State Director of Emergency Management State Police Capt. John Ort to Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson explained why the state rejected the county’s request for the governor to declare the affected communities disaster areas, which could entitle them to financial assistance under state law.
‘In this case, the damage was not sufficiently widespread or severe, nor was there a significant threat to public health and safety such that a Governor’s Emergency or Disaster Declaration is warranted,? Ort wrote.
Ort explained that a State of Disaster or Emergency Declaration under Public Act 390 is ‘primarily designed to provide … state assistance in the form of personnel, supplies, equipment and material when the situation is beyond the capability and control of local government.?
However, the $2,194,481 in damage the county reported (which includes estimates from Oxford and Addison) was ‘primarily the result of branch and tree limb debris removal and emergency protective measures,? Ort wrote.
The captain noted that the county was ‘specifically seeking ‘funding assistance from the State contingency fund for response and recovery aspects with clean up operations.?
‘Under extraordinary circumstances, Act 390 can provide one time funding of up to $30,000 from state funds for those jurisdictions which have declared an emergency or disaster and where no federal funding is available,? Ort wrote. ‘However, the expenditure of funds on an incident does not necessarily qualify that incident as an emergency or disaster. State disaster contingency funds are not intended to be used for simple budgetary relief or to relieve hardship.?
Ort also wrote that an ‘important aspect in evaluating requests? such as the county’s was ‘to determine if the situation has resulted in a threat to public health and safety.?
‘Information received from your county indicates that although a number of homes were without power and some roadways were initially blocked, the impact on public heath and safety was not such that a Governor’s Disaster or Emergency Declaration is warranted,? he wrote.
‘Tell that to the residents who were looking for a place to go, who couldn’t get down their roads,? said Addison Treasurer Dan Alberty, who was ‘flabbergasted? by the state’s decision. ‘If you don’t live through it, you don’t know.?
Alberty estimated the township will spend approximately $30,000 to clean-up its storm-related debris. The treasurer noted that this amount represents about two-thirds of the township’s $47,000 in contingency funds budgeted for the 2003-04 fiscal year.
‘It’s something we can only afford to have happen once,? Alberty said.
The treasuer said it troubles him to have the township go through that much contingency money this early in the year.
Oxford Village President Steve Allen called the state police and governor’s decision ‘incredibly shortsighted.?
‘I don’t recall seeing one state police car around here,? Allen noted.
Allen said he’s ‘really disappointed? with the decision and believes it will put a ‘heck of a strain? on the village budget, but ‘won’t blow it.?
The village president said the money to cover storm-related expenses will probably come from the approximately $100,000 fund balance, which is set aside for ‘rainy days.?
‘This is one of those cases,? he said.
Manager Mark Slown, who also expressed his disappointment with the state’s decision, said the village has thus far spent about $30,000 in storm-related clean-up and expects to spend an additional $30,000.
Those figures don’t include possible additional costs relating to the clean-up of the huge brush pile sitting behind the baseball fields near Scripter Park. Village residents were allowed to drop off the fallen tree branches and limbs from their yards that were too large for the regular garbage collector, Waste Management, to pick up.
Slown said the village hasn’t yet decided how to dispose of the brush pile.
Dunn noted the township has spent a total of $41,100 to clear the residential drop-off brush pile at Seymour Lake Park, and clear the brush and trim the damaged trees at Stony Lake Park and the three township cemeteries (see story on back page).
The supervisor said without any state funds coming Oxford’s way, the township will just have to find some ‘extra money? in the budget.
‘We’ll move some money around,? Dunn said. ‘Things are already tight because of the revenue sharing cuts. We’re not going to fold up and go away. We keep the budget fairly lean. We’ll be able to get by.?