Haywood commissioners appropriate remaining $2.5M of $3.5M TS Fred unmet-needs grant

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously May 4 to appropriate the remaining $2.5 million of a previously awarded $3.5 million unmet-needs grant from North Carolina Emergency Management for Tropical Storm Fred recovery projects.

A county staff member summarized the request and explained that $1 million of the grant had already been appropriated in prior actions; the ordinance formally brings the balance into the county's budget ordinance format for audit and documentation purposes. "This is TS Fred money. This is not new money," a staff member said during the presentation.

Emergency-management staff explained the additional funds are intended to be available for preapproved recovery projects that NCEM may authorize; several candidate projects have been proposed but not all are approved. Staff noted some projects require quick encumbrance timelines if approved and that certain requests may expire on June 30 unless extended by the legislature.

The board approved the ordinance by unanimous voice vote and staff said they will proceed with preapproval requests and, if necessary, return to the board with project-level details for encumbrance.