City officials expect the Navy to commit another $13 million for cleanup costs associated with the fire that destroyed the World War II-era blimp hangar in Tustin, according to documents that are a part of Tuesday’s council meeting.
Navy officials have long said the service is committed to repaying the city for cleanup costs for the fire that spewed hazardous contaminants into neighborhoods and parks, though the process takes time, but city leaders have expressed exasperation for how slow negotiating reimbursements has been.
The new commitment from the Navy brings its reimbursement total to $24 million.
The city has spent $74 million on the cleanup response and expects that number to continue to rise, while Tustin’s annual budget is around $90 million, city leaders say. Mayor Austin Lumbard has said the city’s fiscal solvency is under threat and the Navy isn’t sending money fast enough.
“We need the Navy to really change their posture and to get us the funds quicker, more efficiently and frankly stop playing games,” Lumbard said. “For them to be not providing the funding that we suspect they have is incredibly disappointing.”
City officials are also still fighting to get an emergency proclamation and funding from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in January he wouldn’t issue an emergency proclamation for the hangar fire, saying reimbursement is a federal…
