$5.6 million dollars in additional HEAL funding from the state is coming to Greene County, and will be applied to the Greeneville Water Commission for use on Hurricane Helene repair costs.
Mayor Kevin Morrison told members of the Greene County Budget and Finance Committee this morning the additional funding available to the Water Commission will now be 19.7 million dollars. The original allocation of 14.1 million is already being used on an as-invoiced allocation from the the County, which is serving as the fiscal agent for the HEAL grant monies allocated by the state.
The grant funds are being used for the rebuilding and reconstruction of the water pumping station and infrastructure damaged during the flood.
ORIGINAL HEAL FUNDS GRANTED
Following the emergency legislative session in Nashville in January, the governor set aside $100 million for Hurricane Helene affected counties primarily for debris, removal and cleanup, and water and sewer infrastructure. Greene County requested and was fully funded for $17.6 million. That money arrived in November and and was put into an escrow account for dispersal to the entities that had requested it. Of those funds , $14.1 million dollars was earmarked for the Greeneville Water Commission, Glen Hills Utility District was granted up to $525,000. Chuckey Utility District around $1.3 million, and $2 million for Greene County in debris management funds. At the conclusion of the disbursement of the first round funds, there were extra HEAL funds in the program, which is a 10 year interest-free loan available to the effective counties. The agencies that receive the money are to pay it back to Greene County over a 10 year period as they are reimbursed from FEMA and TEMA.
NORTH GREENE UTILITY DISTRICT – OLD KNOX UTILITY DISTRICT
The North Greene and Old Knox Utility Districts were among those utilities earlier this year which had each been granted $300,000 by the county to assist with infrastructure as it related to the flood and the area’s growing population. The construction of the resolution was such that a utility could draw more funding from another utility which did not need the funds. Old Knox, not needing the funds , has agreed to allocate their portion to North Greene Utility District. Whatever portion of the additional $300 thousand dollars North Greene uses would be paid back. North Greene Utility District appears to be well on the way toward recovering from financial issues which had hampered the utility several months ago.
