Bolivar council approves contract with recovery-management firm to pursue FEMA reimbursements

Bolivar City Council voted to approve a contract with a private recovery-management team to help the city and county pursue FEMA public assistance reimbursements after recent storms. The consultant told council the company will document storm damage, capture labor and equipment hours, and help submit the Request for Public Assistance to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and FEMA.

The presenter, who identified herself as having 35 years of emergency-management experience and said she is part of a new private company called Appacidian, described the scope: capture all storm-related expenditures and damaged items, collect hours for city equipment and responders, and prepare documentation for FEMA’s public assistance process. She said the firm does not charge retainers and bills hour-for-hour; FEMA’s project administration category may reimburse up to 5% of total project cost, and the firm will seek to keep its billed hours below that ceiling.

Council member Williams moved to approve the contract; Council member McAllen seconded and the motion carried. The presenter said she would coordinate with the city’s EMA director and county officials and that nothing would be submitted to FEMA without prior review and city approval.

Council members asked about rates and project status. The presenter said senior staff would bill $100 per hour and two additional staff at $90 per hour, and she said the firm will work to minimize out-of-pocket costs by maximizing reimbursable documentation. She also said the county and Grand Junction have already contracted with the same firm, and city public-works assistance in Grand Junction will be captured for reimbursement.

The council approved the contract and staff said the consultant’s cell phone number was provided for follow-up questions. Specific contract start dates, anticipated reimbursement timelines, and project-scopes were not detailed at the meeting.