By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The tab to cover the costs incurred by Lawrence Township to clean up after Hurricane Sandy has reached $145,000, following Township Council’s approval of $17,500 to cover overtime for the Lawrence Township Police Department.
The council approved an emergency appropriation to pay for the overtime costs associated with the storm at its Dec. 4 meeting. This is in addition to an emergency appropriation of $127,500 approved last month.
Most of the initial emergency appropriation was spent on debris removal. The rest of the money was spent on overtime for the Lawrence Township Department of Public Works and the Lawrence Township Police Department.
The expenditures, which are expected to approach $200,000, were not anticipated in the 2012 municipal budget, and they will have to be paid for out of the proposed 2013 municipal budget, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said.
Lawrence Township will be reimbursed for 75 percent of the overtime costs for 60 days from the date of the storm and for 30 days for regular time spent on storm-related matters by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, Mr. Krawczun said. The starting date is Oct. 26.
Mr. Krawczun pointed out that the Department of Public Works crews have been working to clean up the township, working as late as 8 p.m. at the Joseph H. Maher Jr. Ecological Center to grind up the debris from Hurricane Sandy as well as debris left over from Hurricane Irene in 2011.
Lawrence Township was “lucky,” Mr. Krawczun said, noting that there are many towns in Mercer County that have entered into “substantial” contracts to clean up the storm debris.
The township awarded one contract for tree clearing for $7,000. The rest of the work was handled by township crews, who are making their way through the township to collect the debris. They have not reached every street, but they are working on it, he said.

