Berkeley Officials Need More Time To Pay Back Sandy Funds From FEMA

by Patricia A. Miller

Berkeley officials want the state Legislature to give Sandy-slammed municipalities more time to pay back the emergency funds received after the monster storm back in 2012.

The township received $6 million to help balance the budget and make infrastructure repairs after the Oct. 29 2012 storm.

But Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said at the Feb. 22 Township Council meeting that the township needs more time to pay back $1.2 million payments due in 2016 and 2017.

The Township Council again passed a resolution asking for a 10-year time span to spread the payments out even further.

“We’re hoping we get this legislation passed,” he said.

Amato said he has already met with State Senator Christopher J. Connors, who plans to introduce a bill extending the time for the emergency appropriation payments.

“It really is a no-brainer,” he said.

Cleanup costs for the January reached $408,899, which will also impact the 2016 municipal budget. The township had set aside $100,000 for snow removal, Amato said.

Photo credit: Patricia A. Miller, Good Luck Point, Bayville, New Jersey after the storm.