MEMORANDUM
TO: Erie County Town Supervisors
FROM: Honorable Stefan I. Mychajliw
RE: Record Keeping of Storm Related Expenses
DATE: November 20th, 2014
As Erie County’s Chief Financial Officer, I am strongly encouraging you and your respective Highway Superintendent to meticulously track all of your storm related spending and keep impeccable records. Maintaining and organizing your records now is critically important if there is a possibility of federal or state reimbursement of your expenses at a later date.
As this storm progresses you may become eligible for Federal or State aid to help cover the costs associated with the clean up. That aid is typically in the form of a reimbursement, and you need to have storm related records in good order to ensure you receive funds.
You can avoid headaches the county experienced in assembling paperwork after the fact to obtain State and Federal reimbursements for covered costs. Look no further than the “October Surprise Storm” of 2006 for an example of why it is so important to keep organized records concerning storm cleanup.
Erie County learned this lesson the hard way. FEMA initially tried to come after Erie County and demanded we repay $48 million in ”October Surprise Storm” related expenses when initial paperwork and receipts could not be found.
The federal government demanded the county to prove expenses were storm related, many years after the fact. It is best to be proactive now rather than be put in the difficult position Erie County was in pertaining to reimbursements for that storm.
Be sure to document every single expense you incur, no matter how insignificant you think it is, and keep every receipt. Be sure to add notations to how all expenses are storm related. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office at the contact information above if we can be helpful in any way.
Sincerely,
Hon. Stefan I. Mychajliw
Erie County Comptroller
For a PDF Version of this Memo, click here.