Editor's note: This story was co-reported and written by Lilly Stewart and Taylor Cheek, students at West Henderson High School, in collaboration with Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter Gerard Albert III as part of a Report For America fellowship service project.
Henderson County recently passed its $215 million budget for next fiscal year – after Hurricane Helene damaged properties, interrupted tourism and left behind massive amounts of debris.
Clearing debris from the storm is costing Henderson County millions of dollars and the county has used all of the $15 million provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to clear debris from roads and waterways.
Most counties in Western North Carolina contracted FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to manage the debris. But Henderson County opted to manage the contracts with debris management companies instead of using money from FEMA.
“We operate under the principle that the government, which governs closest to the people, governs best,” said County Manager John Mitchell.
Still, Mitchell said the hands-on approach comes at a price.
The county is spending about $1.5 million a month removing debris from roads, rivers and private property.
The county has started using taxpayer money from the county's Hurricane Helene fund to pay for debris removal companies.
The plan is to be reimbursed by FEMA and the state government.
“There is no reason why the federal government and state government cannot move those funds in 45 days. We've got good partners in Washington and Raleigh that can accomplish that,” he said.
Mitchell says he is hopeful that the money comes quickly, but if not, he says he'll pause debris removal. If the county does have to pause the debris cleanup, maintaining the services of debris removal companies will be difficult, Mitchell said.