The town plans to seek federal reimbursement for $40,000 used to plow the streets during the late December blizzard, which left the town buried in over two-feet of snow.

Town Administrator Jim Gildea said the town’s total bill for plowing the street came to just over $40,000. He said this covers the cost of Department of Public Works staffers reporting to work at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 26 to start salting the roads and working through midnight on Monday, Dec. 27 to continue plowing.

“That is overtime and the furlough day,” Gildea said 

Dec. 27 was originally slated to be one of five furlough days for DPW workers in 2010, with the day canceled due to the blizzard. Thirty seven our of 38 DPW workers reported to work that day, with the last staffer out of town due to the furlough day.

Gildea said that Fire Chief Dan Kelly, the town’s emergency management coordinator, has been working with county emergency management officials on the federal reimbursement. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are scheduled to be in Union County next week to discuss the blizzard with county emergency management officials. 

Gildea said next week’s meeting between the county and FEMA officials will include FEMA confirming the extent of the blizzard in Union County and the costs incurred by the county and local municipalities in clearing the roads. He said once FEMA confirms the total cost in the county, the process will begin for federal reimbursement.

Gildea said then acting Gov. Steve Sweeney’s emergency declaration during the height of the blizzard will help in obtaining federal funds. Gov. Chris Christie has also submitted paperwork to FEMA for reimbursement for state and local clean-up efforts. 

Gildea said that FEMA reimbursement will help with budgetary impact of the 2010 blizzards on Westfield. He said that before the December 2010 blizzard occurred the town had spent $100,000 of the $280,000 DPW annual overtime budget on snow removal. He said almost all of the funds had been for the two storms that hit in February 2010, including the blizzard which left Westfield buried under the most snow of any town in the New York metropolitan region.

He said the $280,000 overtime budget for 2010 had been reduced from prior years due to the budget crunch impacting the town, including a severe decline in non-tax revenues. 

Gildea did not know how much of the $40,000 Westfield would likely get back from the federal government.

“They usually reimburse a portion or possibly all based on their assessment,” Gildea said.