Transylvania County leaders announced Monday that removal of debris from private property would be paused due to lack of funding from the federal government.
A news release from the county had few details about the decision but stated that it came after commissioners, county manager and other staff met with federal and state representatives this week.
The county, like many in Western North Carolina, coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide debris removal from waterways and private property after Hurricane Helene.
“There is currently not a timeline for knowing definitively if PPDR [private property debris removal] will proceed as planned or if there will need to be a different avenue aside from the Army Corps [of Engineers] to address these sites,” the news release stated.
The county’s news release points to a lack of federal funding for the Army Corps of Engineers as the reason for the pause, but did not elaborate after questions from BPR News. County Manager Jaime Laughter said the county expects another update at the end of July.
The Army Corps, however, said they have the funding that they need, according to spokesperson Bobby Petty. He told BPR that the agency has received funding to “support our PPDR [private property debris removal] mission.”
He did not reply to a message from BPR News about why certain counties have had to pause their debris removal if the funding exists.
“We’re currently working through courses of action, in conjunction with the state and FEMA, to determine how to best execute the remaining mission,” he wrote in a text message to BPR News.
In other counties, like Buncombe, private property debris removal is continuing, according to county officials.
“My understanding is that it is affecting other counties using USACE [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers], but in different ways because it depends on where they are at in the process,” Laughter, who manages Transylvania County, said.
She did not expand when asked where the county was in the debris removal process.
Applications from Transylvania County residents who need debris removed from private property will still be reviewed, but it is unclear if the Army Corps of Engineers will conduct any work for the next month in Transylvania County.
“County leaders were assured that if USACE [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] does not receive funding that the applications and packets of site information will transition to the state and may be addressed through a different method,” the release stated.
