Caldwell County Fiscal Court unanimously approved an emergency ordinance for natural disaster relief to protect citizens from getting “ripped off” from some possible fly-by-night contractors as they start to rebuild after the December tornado.
The action was taken at Tuesday morning’s meeting where Judge-Executive Larry Curling said the emergency ordinance is to ensure citizens are not taken advantage of.
County Attorney Roy Massey IV explained the ordinance will require contractors to register with the Attorney General’s Office and get a certificate.
According to county officials, representatives from the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection will be on-site in Princeton to assist with registering contractors beginning Wednesday. The registration office will be located at City Hall, 206 East Market Street, and will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For any questions, call (502) 871-2424.
Contractors who are already registered with the City of Princeton and Caldwell County can stop by the office to complete registration with the Attorney General’s staff and receive a placard.
Caldwell County Judge-Executive Larry Curling
Judge Curling also provided an update to magistrates regarding the clean-up and recovery efforts. He pointed out most of the destruction in the county was in the Dawson Road and Ward’s Creek area to the Hopkins County line with an estimated debris pick-up area of over 350,000 cubic yards.
He added several homes in that area have been demolished.
Judge Curling concluded his update by stating the tornado was destructive but the fatalities were the true tragedy. destruction from the tornado is bad but the true destruction was the loss of lives.
During reports, Caldwell County Emergency Manager Joey McCaslin said every day is getting better and a lot easier with the recovery efforts. He noted they do not have any unmet needs that have been requested from the state. McCaslin added they are now focusing on disaster housing and longtime recovery.
All of the magistrates expressed their gratitude to the volunteers and others who are helping with the clean-up and recovery efforts.
The News Edge will have more information from the fiscal court meeting in the coming days.
