The first of many bills incurred by the City of Cookeville from the March 3 tornado came due at Thursday’s City Council Meeting.
City staff requested a budget amendment to cover $1.3 million in expenses. The expenses include $1.3 million in contracted services for debris removal. Overtime for police officers totaled $65,000 after the storm, $24,000 for fire department personnel, and $7,500 for public works staffers.
Finance Director Brenda Imel said the city will submit these bills to FEMA for reimbursement. However, that process could take some time. After the 2015 Ice Storm, it took as many as three years for local entities to get the money back.