The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida residents hear about progress
Some homeowners seek legal action against the city
money — were on hand to answer questions.
Speaking for the OCR, Jerry Nagy updated the crowd on the home buyout program, a check for that option could take 12 to 18 months to have in hand and that there are stipulations for a buyout. The home needs to be located in the community’s 100-year flood plan and that at least 51 percent of the home’s value must be sustained in damage. For example, if a home is worth $ 100,000, damage estimates would need to exceed $51,000 in order to qualify for a buyout.
Answering other questions, Nagy also said that state relief checks must be used for repairs and cleanup and not other expenses such as rent.
Currently state wide, there are 250 homeowners in flood-affected communities who have applied for a home buyout, Nagy said.
Other questions posed to city officials included an update of what is being done to Oneida Creek to make sure it does not flood again. Mayorelect Max Smith said the city engineers office is currently looking into options for flood management.
Some residents also questioned the safety of the soil and whether it was going to be tested for contaminants and if vegetable gardens were safe.
Smith said that at this time, based on guidance from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the county health department, no soil testing is scheduled and that the city has been assured that the type of chemicals soil was exposed to during the flood will degrade with time.
One flood victim who was not inside the meeting, but outside the Kallet on the sidewalk, was Kristy Renfer, who along with her fiance Michael Kimball, were handing out memos to people going into the meeting.
In the memo, Renfer and Kimball write that they filed a civil suit against the city for $500,000 and that they are putting feelers out to potentially file a class action lawsuit against the city.
When asked about the intent of the suit, Renfer said she feels the flood was the result of the city’s negligence in maintaining the levy that overflowed. “In addition, the city’s action to prevent residents from returning to their homes, as early as possible, caused additional losses,” the memo says.
Renfer said she was living in leased property at 339 Bennett St., where she had lived for 10 years. After the flood, Renfer, like many others, lost the bulk of her possessions to water and mold damage.
The owner of the home chose not to renovate and sold the property for a few thousand dollars, Renfer said.
“I lost everything except my BMW and my kids,” she said.
Smith said he first caught wind of the claim about two months ago, but in that time neither he nor the city council has seen any documentation to indicate the suit had been properly filed in civil court.
Smith further added that he would challenge any claims of negligence against the city both leading up to and following the flood, saying that those allegations are “unfounded.”