They are words one doesn’t often hear in the same sentence – local government, federal government, state government and cooperation. However, they were strung together during the Barton County Commission meeting Monday morning.
The topic was the nearly $77,000 Barton County will receive from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funds are in response to the county’s disaster declaration made following last August’s flooding.
Crews in several departments put in long hours dealing with the storms. Equipment and supplies were stretched. The county racked up quite a bill battling the rising waters and cleaning up the muddy residue afterwards.
The feds will reimburse the county for 75 percent of its expenses. The state will throw in another 10 percent. In all, the county will only have to cover 15 percent of the effort.
There are a lot of pats on the back in order here.
First, to Emergency Management Director Amy Miller, Road and Bridge Director Dale Phillips and others who tenaciously kept on this until it went through. Next, as Miller and Phillips said, we own the state and federal agencies involved our appreciation.
Despite changes in FEMA disaster declarations and a government shutdown, Barton County is getting its money. There was a lot of cooperation, they told the commission.
It just goes to show that we can all get along and work together.
Dale Hogg