By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The Village of Waterford will not receive outside financial assistance for clean-up efforts linked to the flooding that ravaged portions of Western Racine County in mid-July.
Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald provided an update on the municipality’s effort to seek financial assistance at a Village Board meeting Sept. 11.
Officials were previously informed no federal funding would be allocated toward the cleanup efforts. But possible assistance from the state was a lingering question that continued to hang in the balance until early this month.
“The State of Wisconsin Disaster Fund reviewed the totals submitted,” Ewald wrote in a memo. “The Village of Waterford did not qualify for state funding either.”
David Maack, coordinator with the Racine County Office of Emergency Management, funneled the information down to Waterford-area municipalities Sept. 5.
“The Town of Norway, Town of Waterford and Village of Waterford fall under the ratio of total damages to population for reimbursement under the Wisconsin Disaster Fund,” Maack wrote in an email to the municipalities.
The ratio is a statistic the state uses as a barometer in determining financial assistance, Maack said. To qualify, a municipality needs to have a ratio of at least $3.61.
The Village of Waterford, which recorded $8,732 in damages, reached a $1.62 ratio, based on its 5,378-person population. The village’s damages fell under two categories: protective measures and roads and bridges.
The towns of Norway and Waterford reached even lower ratios, based on the state’s calculation.
In his email, Maack said the Town of Norway reported $1,566 in damages, putting it at a ratio of $0.20, based on its 7,973-person population.
Town of Waterford, meanwhile, hit a ratio of $1.14, based on the 6,349-person population and $7,260 in recorded damages.
Although none of the trio of municipalities qualifies for state assistance, Maack said there is one governing entity within the footprint that does: Town of Waterford Sanitary District No. 1.
The district, which serves all Town of Waterford residents, recorded $34,358.67 in damages linked to the flooding. That figure, coupled with the town’s population, placed the ratio at $5.41.
Other than the village’s report of damages to roads and bridges, all of the damages between the three municipalities and the sanitary district fell under the “protective measures” category.
According to state documents, “protective measures” are defined as “actions taken to protective lives and property, which accounts for providing safety barricades, signs and area security.
It also includes actions such as sandbagging efforts. Overtime for force account employees, both regular and overtime, for temporary hires are eligible, along with equipment and material.”
In other business at this week’s Waterford Village Board meeting, officials hosted a promotional pinning ceremony for fire department command staff.
Five firefighters have been promoted, following Fire Chief Rick Mueller’s recommendation and the backing of the village’s Fire Commission.
Three firefighters have been promoted to lieutenant: Tyler Buerger, Josh Larson and Tom Nehring. Chad Franks has been upped to captain, and Eric Rosina has been elevated to the role of assistant chief.
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