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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Office of Assemblyman David Buchwald. October 1, 2015:

As a direct result of the efforts of State Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-White Plains), Senator George Latimer (D-Rye), and White Plains Mayor Tom Roach (D), Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Office of Storm Recovery has reimbursed the City of White Plains $205,989.49 it was owed for expenses incurred as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Together with FEMA aid, the city has been made whole.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) covered 90 percent of all Sandy-related expenses sustained by municipalities, while the individual municipalities were originally responsible for the remaining 10 percent. In June of 2014, Governor Cuomo announced that the state would cover that 10 percent, relieving local taxpayers of an added financial burden. Without the funding, the City of White Plains would have a significant budget gap, and residents would be forced to absorb a .74 percent increase in their property taxes to offset the Superstorm Sandy expenses.

“New York State has come through for the City of White Plains. Without this reimbursement, White Plains property taxpayers would have been hit with a sizeable bill for Superstorm Sandy expenses,” said Assemblyman Buchwald. “Sandy’s extensive damage and power outages hit many communities hard and municipal budgets were strained, so I am very pleased that the Governor Cuomo’s Office of Storm Recovery stepped up to relieve White Plains of its financial burden. I would like to thank Senator Latimer and Mayor Roach for their steadfast work to make sure that the City of White Plains was properly reimbursed.”

“The people of White Plains have demonstrated great strength and resiliency in recovering from Sandy,” said Senator Latimer. “For the city and its officials, this helps ensure financial stability and brings closure in the long battle back. The support of the state, and the fulfilled commitment on the part of Governor Cuomo is appreciated by so many of us.”

“I would like to thank our state delegation members, Assemblyman David Buchwald and Senator George Latimer, as well as the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, for working with the City to ensure it received this funding,” said Mayor Roach. “The City incurred significant expenses as a result of Superstorm Sandy and this last piece of reimbursement was needed to cover those expenses related to storm response and recovery.”

In total, the City of White Plains spent $2,059,894.85 in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. This includes $1,674,866 on over 17,000 hours of debris and organic waste removal by city workers, with nearly 7,000 of those hours counted as overtime.  The City also spent over $166,000 for law enforcement and the fire department to keep the public safe, respond to emergencies, and provide critical equipment and materials such as generators.