County to make loans available for fire victims

Low-interest loans would be available for hazardous waste cleanup

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday approved allowing the chief county administrator to offer zero or low-interest loans to victims of recent fires to pay for the clean up of hazardous wastes from damage caused by the fires.

In July, the Fairview Fire destroyed nine residences in the West Bishop area, and a structure fire destroyed one residence in Darwin.

Inyo County Assistant Administrator Meaghan McCamman said with the approval the county administrator has the flexibility to provide zerointerest loans to victims of recent fires for purposes of debris cleanup.

“In the past few months, 10 Inyo County homes have been impacted by fires,” McCamman said. “Tragically, these residents lost their homes in fires that were too small to be declared disasters by the state of California and therefore are not eligible for state disaster funding.”

However, McCamman said these property owners are still facing the enormous cost of cleanup, and rebuilding their homes.

She said one of the most expensive parts of cleaning up fire sites is the disposal of hazardous materials in burn ash, neither of which can be disposed of locally in Inyo County’s unlined landfills.

McCamman said because there are no local

hazardous material contractors to do the cleanup, work crews must travel from outside the area.

She said to support the homeowners and try to get an economy of scale to lower costs Inyo County staff has sought bids from hazardous materials contractors. Staff also has been working to get all homeowners together on a single contract to share mobilization costs and disposal fees.

For homeowners whose insurance payments are not enough to cover the cost of hazmat cleanup, McCamman said, this would allow the county administrator to enter agreements with homeowners for zero-interest loans that could then be paid back over several years.

She said because this is technically a gift of public funds, because the opportunity cost of the money that will be tied up in these loans until they are repaid, Tuesday’s board action found a public benefit to providing low-interest loans and would allow the county administrator to enter loan agreements to make the cleanup more affordable for homeowners.

According to county staff, the funds will come from reimbursement money that the county has received from prior emergencies that weren’t expended and set aside for future emergencies.

Staff noted that the loan parameters include a loan of up to $10,000 with a term of up to 10 years for any borrower or up to 30 years for borrowers who can demonstrate that their household income falls below 80% of the

Area Median Income for the Bishop area.

Staff also noted that ensuring the prompt removal of hazardous waste benefits all residents of Inyo County. A prompt and thorough clean up ensures that hazardous chemicals and debris stay out of the waterways, maintains the aesthetic value of the community, and encourages the rebuilding of muchneeded housing units in Inyo County.

Inyo County Fifth District Supervisor Matt Kingsely said he not only saw this as a clean-up issue but as a housing issue as well.

“Losing those 10 homes just increased our demand and pressure on housing,” Kingsley said. “So anything we can do to get those 10 homes back into service really allows for other housing to become available.”

Second District Supervisors Jeff Griffiths said he agreed, adding that it also removes barriers to get these homes “