County seeks state reimbursement after $7,000 snow‑removal bill for courthouse

County officials told the board they received a $7,000 invoice for snow removal around the courthouse and plan to pursue reimbursement from the state Emergency Management Agency.

"We got billed for $7,000, so I'm trying to figure that out," Chris Bass said during the meeting and added that he would "apply for reimbursement through the state EMA". He said engineers' and the sheriff's costs tied to the snow event may also be recoverable.

Board members discussed whether the city had responsibility for clearing certain areas and said that some locations were not cleared by the city, which contributed to the expense. The county reported using heavy equipment and dumpsters for the removal, which Bass said likely explains the magnitude of the bill.

The county also reported ongoing work on a Lafayette property purchase agreement and noted concern about avoiding costly legal fees if complications arise.

Next steps: county staff will pursue the state reimbursement process and report back to the board; the transcript does not record the final administrative outcome of the reimbursement application.