Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Haywood County requests $92.7 million for critical infrastructure post-Helene

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The North Carolina General Assembly has already passed a $273 million storm relief bill to help with immediate needs after Helene, but a much bigger one is coming.

Impacted counties are putting in their requests, including the hard-hit Haywood County.

“This is going to be a massive relief bill,” said Sen. Kevin Corbin.

Corbin represents seven Western North Carolina counties. Two in his jurisdiction, Haywood and Transylvania Counties, sustained heavy damage.

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The state is compiling a list of needs from storm-impacted areas.

“Sewer money, money for our schools, community colleges, the UNC-system, local governments,” Corbin said. “There’s going to be matching money to draw down FEMA funds. We’re probably going to have several million dollars in there for heath related issues in the 25 Western counties.”

He says it is going to be a large, broad bill.

It will be the largest relief package in the history of North Carolina, maybe in the history of the country,” Corbin said.

He knows Haywood County has taken many hits recently between Tropical Storm Fred, the Canton paper mill closure and Helene.

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“It’s been kind of a 1-2-3 punch,” he said.

Haywood County leaders are compiling a list requesting $92.7 million in the bill.

“That will help us continue on with the basic necessities of government,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Ensley.

He says less sales tax is coming into the county now that I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge is shut down.

The county is requesting more than $21 million for water infrastructure improvements – building critical redundancies to ensure water flow between towns like Waynesville, Clyde and Canton.

“We would like to get funding to be able to make this infrastructure a little bit more resilient,” Ensley said.

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Requests include nearly $15 million for public health and safety equipment and vehicles, $9 million to continue servicing debt obligations for the jail expansion, and money to help those who lost homes, and perhaps funding for the county to purchase land.

That will help our citizens be able to afford those homes and then be able to expand our tax base if you will – outside of the flood plains,” said Ensley.

Due to Helene, Ensley says that Haywood County is now on a credit watch.

“If we can get money from the state and upgrade these areas, we feel like that will keep our rating up there where it needs to be,” Ensley said.

Sen. Corbin expects the storm relief bill to be voted on Thursday, Oct. 24.

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