Lafayette County Debris Removal Costs Surpass $20 Million, Contract Cap Raised to $35 Million

Tree debris hauled from Lafayette County roads following a late-January ice storm has already cost more than $20 million, and the cleanup is not finished. The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to raise the not-to-exceed contract limit for Looks Great Services, the county's primary debris removal contractor, from $20 million to $35 million.

Sean Hunt, representing Looks Great Services, told the board that the company was running at approximately $600,000 per day and had completed about 85 percent of its first pass along all county roads. Tree trimming to clear damaged or hanging branches was about 60 percent complete. "Depending on the weather, we should finish the first pass in about two to three weeks," Hunt said.

The county hired Looks Great Services under a local state of emergency resolution to manage debris removal throughout Lafayette County after the late-January storm coated the area in ice and left widespread tree damage. The board periodically reapproves contracts with Looks Great Services and monitoring firm Debris Tech using a not-to-exceed threshold, then revisits that ceiling as expenses near the limit, which prompted the increase from $20 million to $35 million this week.

Debris Tech is required by FEMA and MEMA to monitor the volume of debris being hauled away. Workers at the county's designated dump site inspect and document incoming debris loads, a process the county says is necessary to qualify for federal reimbursement. No reimbursement amounts or submission status have been publicly confirmed.

At $600,000 per day and with roughly two to three weeks of first-pass work still ahead, the total bill could climb significantly before Looks Great Services completes even its initial run through the county's roads, well before any additional passes or remaining trimming work is done.