Flood Buyout Process Frustrates Westwood Officials

Hundreds of man-hours have been spent on a project to purchase flood-prone homes in Westwood, but continual changes from state officials have caused numerous delays in the process, borough officials said Tuesday.

In the meantime, several local families have been temporarily displaced or are living in their homes with short-term repairs since Hurricane Irene hit more than a year ago. Eight homeowners are waiting to see if they are picked for one of the buyouts. Westwood has a little more than $2 million from state and federal grants to spend on the project.

"This has been a frustrating and burdensome process," Mayor John Birkner said.

According to Birkner, borough staff have spent almost 400 man-hours on the project so far, and it may take 500 more before the buyouts are closed. The borough still has several tasks it must undergo to get state approval for the buyouts, including environmental investigations, title searches and surveys for each property, according to borough attorney Russell Huntington.

Birkner recommended hiring a consultant to take over the buyout project so the borough's staff could concentrate on their regular duties. He said he was going to see if the grants could be used to pay for the consultant.

"It's getting in the way of other borough business," Birkner said.

Borough officials are also waiting to see if state legislators will pass a new bill which would relieve them from having to pay county and school taxes for the whole year in which the properties are purchased. Huntington said it was unlikely that the buyouts would be finished this year. Officials previously said the taxes could next year if the buyouts are done then.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.