Residents in the Town of Union are closer to moving on from the flood of September 2011. On Wednesday, the town received a revised Federal Emergency Management Agency buyout agreement from state officials. About 108 homes are approved for the buyout process according to town officials. Several other homes have not yet been approved. In the new agreement, New York State will pay for 20 percent of the buyout, with FEMA paying 75 percent, leaving 5 percent for the Town of Union to pay. Originally the state had agreed to cover the entire 25 percent not covered by FEMA, but this part of the agreement was changed because of the $10.1 million community development block grant that the town received. The town will use some of that grant to cover their end of the buyouts, so residents won’t have to pay at all. Union officials are still working to negotiate changes in the agreement, such as removing a stipulation asking that all families provide proof of low to moderate income. Once the town and state conclude their negotiations, and the state and FEMA approve them, the town can officially begin the buyout process.
