Columbia County has completed the final pass of right-of-way debris pick up as of Monday, March 24.
County Manager Scott Johnson made the announcement on social media on Tuesday, March 25. In the announcement, he said the county saw a lot of debris and worked to pick up as much as possible even though it wasn’t required of them.
“Columbia County was under no obligation to pick up debris,” Johnson said. “But certainly, as we all saw with the tremendous amount that we had, I’m glad that the county was able to pitch in and help with that debris.”
The county had a hard deadline of Monday, March 25 to finish pick up by because that marked 180 days from the hurricane. That date is important because of FEMA requirements for reimbursement, Johnson said.
“We get reimbursed by FEMA 100% for the first 120 days of pickup, so we completed that a ways back,” Johnson said. “We get reimbursed 75% the next 60 days, up to that 180-day mark. So, still puts the county on the hook for 25%. Now, we’re very fortunate in Georgia and in Columbia County, and kudos to the governor and the speaker of the house, (the) folks in the legislature that have committed to pick up Columbia County’s 25%. Because for us, for you taxpayers, that could be somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 or $40 million. And that’s unbudgeted money, folks. So, good thing that we have the state picking up that tab for us, and the state has extended their pickup time, their pickup window, but we just don’t know how much is going to be covered. So, we thought it best to go ahead and stop our debris pickup at 180 days, which we have done as of yesterday.”
As for what this means for residents who still have debris, Johnson said it’s now the responsibility of the homeowner to remove it. He said there are companies that can do it for the residents. Johnson also reminded residents that if they are thinking of burning debris, they need a burn permit.
“I just want to remind everyone if you choose to go that route, make sure you call in a burn permit,” Johnson said. “Make sure that you’re extremely careful with it, with the high winds that we’re having, the dry conditions that we have in the area, and make sure that you everything exactly right as it relates to burning your debris. And keep in mind, we have a burn ban that will be in effect in Columbia County beginning May 1. So, you don’t have a ton of time to do that.”
As for debris that is now on the side of the road, Johnson said since the county has finished pick up, residents need to remove any that they have placed in the state’s right-of-way.
“If there’s debris in the state’s right-of-way, they’re going to push it back on to private property,” Johnson said. “The county’s not going to do that. But if we get to a situation where the debris is out there for a long term, we’re certainly going to have to notify the residents and let them know that that debris needs to be removed and the county’s not going to be removing it.”
Johnson said the county picked up almost four million cubic yards of debris. He added that anyone with questions can call 311 or the county manager’s office.
