GULF SHORES Ala., — Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft says the city is working hard to press for timely payment regarding BP claims related to the oil spill. Last week,  Craft and other elected officials met one-on-one with Ken Feinberg, stressing the importance of getting money into the hands of local businesses as soon as possible.

“We had a meeting with him last week for about an hour, then he went to the big community meeting in Orange Beach and I think the combination of the two were very effective,” Craft said. “We were able to talk to him with the governor in the room about the long-term impact on the community by not paying those claims now.”

Craft said he thought that by Feinberg traveling to Orange Beach and seeing firsthand how many people were truly affected after spending an hour talking to him for an hour truly made an impression.

Although Craft said he was encouraged by Feinberg saying he would speed up the process and get money into the hands of businesses by this week, that has not been the case.

“I received three e-mails today from three different businesses, one of which has not received anything, and two of which received about a third of what they needed to get them through the next six months.”

Craft forwarded the e-mails to Feinberg and was waiting a reply so that he could address the problem with the businesses involved.

“I don’t know how we can make things happen, but we have to find a way because the consequences to these businesses will be disastrous. Hopefully we will see some results, but I am not holding my breath.”

In addition, the mayor said they are continuing to press BP for the payment of municipal claims. Gulf Shores presented a claim of anticipated tax losses through the end of the year of $2.9 million. BP countered back with a $2 offer, and Craft said they are still negotiating, trying to work out a fair number to pay the city for lost tax revenue through the end of the year. Craft said he was expecting a back draft deposit into the city’s account by the end of the week.