Erie City Council will vote on ordinances Sept. 16 to appropriate $4 million to clean up damage from the Sept. 2-3 windstorm.
The requested appropriations would cover “unexpected and unbudgeted costs” arising from the storm that brought down hundreds of trees and caused additional damage in the city, according to a Sept. 11 letter from city finance director Lisa Gomersall to Erie City Council President Tyler Titus.
Those costs include overtime for city public works and refuse department employees, fees for private contractors hired to remove trees and other debris, equipment rental, and disposal fees.
Brown Avenue, west of Cherry Street, remained closed Sept. 4, 2026, after a strong early morning Sept. 3, 2026, storm downed trees around Erie.
The city declared a state of emergency on Sept. 3 as crews began clearing streets and assessing storm damage.
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Where would the money come from?
The $4 million requested for storm cleanup would come from the city’s “rainy day fund,” unappropriated money in the city’s general and refuse funds. Adequate money would remain in the funds to cover other unexpected expenses through the end of the year, city spokeswoman Mary Wassell said.
Use of those funds was recommended by Public Financial Management Inc., the city’s state-required consultant for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Strategic Management Planning Program, Wassell said.
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The $4 million cleanup cost was estimated based on the number of downed trees in the city and is liable to change.
“That estimate may change as we get further into the cleanup and have a better understanding of how much work city crews can handle versus what will need to be completed by outside contractors,” Wassell said.
Those contractors may include S. St. George Enterprises of Fredonia, New York, to grind wood and other vegetative debris at the city compost site on Port Access Road.
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Toppled trees damaged houses on Bayview Drive at the foot of Lincoln Avenue in Erie during a powerful storm that ended in the early morning of Sept. 3, 2026. (ED PALATTELLA/ERIE TIMES-NEWS)
Prices submitted by the company include $2,650 per hour for a grinding crew with two loaders, excavator with grapple, and grinder. Prices also were submitted for other equipment and manpower that might be needed.
A resolution to pay those expenses also will be before City Council this week.
Is the city eligible for storm aid?
Federal aid to help the city recover from the storm is not likely. The city does not seem to qualify for federal funding but is working with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to determine if state funding may be available to reimburse some of the cleanup costs, Wassell said.
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PEMA officials arrived in the city on Sept. 8.
The unexpected storm costs come at a time when the city is already facing a financial crisis.
PFM and Erie Mayor Daria Devlin announced in April that the city’s general fund deficit will exceed $12 million in 2027 unless major financial changes are made. Those changes are expected to include a property tax increase.
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The votes
Erie City Council is scheduled to vote on the cleanup appropriations and grinding expenses during its Sept. 16 meeting.
The meeting will be held in council chambers at City Hall, 626 State St., beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie City Council to vote on $4 million proposed for storm cleanup