Appling County commissioners voted to end the outside debris contractor's extension and finish remaining storm debris removal using county crews and, where needed, locally hired contractors. County staff said the in‑house approach will be slower but keeps spending and jobs local and qualifies for FEMA reimbursement at the current rate.

Why it matters: The county estimates remaining debris volume and cost and said doing the work internally will allow closer control of where and how material is picked up and documented for federal reimbursement.

The county manager briefed the board on two options: extend the current contractor's contract for 30 days to finish pickup, or perform the remaining work using county crews and permitted burn sites, with daily forestry permits when required. "We have prepared our own method to pick up and dispose of the debris ... our labor, our equipment, at the 75% reimbursement rate," the county manager said, noting FEMA's reimbursement rate had dropped from 100% to 75% after Feb. 3.

Members of the road department and the county's operations staff told the commission they have the equipment and could perform the work on a smaller scale, though doing so could slow routine maintenance. Road staff said crews would work road by road and document piles with photos and GPS coordinates to support reimbursement claims.

Several residents spoke during the discussion, asking how fresh, later‑placed debris would be handled; county staff said the program would document collections and the county could follow up with property owners when material appeared after an area had been cleared.

Commissioners voted on a motion to "go local and finish the cleanup" rather than extend the outside contractor's contract. The motion passed on a voice vote recorded as "all in favor." County staff were directed to issue requests for proposals to local contractors to support the effort and to proceed under county management, documenting all work for FEMA reimbursement.

County officials said the latest estimate of spending to date on debris removal was about $16.5 million and that completing the job could push the total higher; they will update the board with refined totals as more data from field operations are compiled.