It’s been nearly two years since the New Year’s Eve flood of 2005, but the city of Napa and Napa County are still struggling to recover millions of dollars in federal reimbursement for cleanup costs and road damage.

Local jurisdictions, aided by expensive consultants, are jumping through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s many hoops, with more hoops to come.

Napa County is still working to be reimbursed $5 million of $10.8 million in damage, some of it from heavy rains in April 2006, that washed out rural roads, said Don Ridenhour, the county’s assistant public works director.

“It’s too bad that it has to be that complicated,” Ridenhour said Tuesday.

Until the county knows how much disaster relief it will receive, it is reluctant to begin some repairs, including three roads — Redwood, Diamond Mountain and Spring Mountain — that have been reduced to one lane in spots, he said.

“People are tired of having to deal with one-lane sections of road. It’s been two years,” Ridenhour said.

To help meet federal rules for reimbursement, the county has hired Maximus Inc., a consultant with knowledge of the federal system and how to appeal claims that are turned down, Ridenhour said.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors increased the amount for Maximus’ services from $60,000 to $140,000 after staff said it didn’t have the expertise to navigate the federal system.

The county will reap far more in reimbursements than it pays out to Maximus, Ridenhour said. During the first round of appeals, Maximus helped the county get an additional $1.4 million, he said.

Appeals are pending on another $1.9 million in claims, with the county yet to request $3.9 million to cover engineering costs to repair four roads and a bridge, Ridenhour said.

As the full costs of some repairs are known, more claims can be expected, Ridenhour said. At the end of the day, he expects the county to be out of pocket about $600,000.

The city is well on its way to recovering $1.5 million for its emergency response for the New Year’s flood and cleanup, said Mike O’Bryon, Napa’s public works director.

The state Office of Emergency Services said $1 million of the requested $1.5 million has been approved, with FEMA still processing the remainder, he said.

Another $5 million to $6 million may ultimately be claimed for damages to city facilities, including roads and trails, O’Bryon said. The city is proceeding cautiously, making only those repairs that are essential while waiting to see how much FEMA will cover, he said.

This is why two segments of Napa River trail behind Copia on First Street and adjacent to Riverpointe Napa Valley on Lincoln Avenue have not been repaired, O’Bryon said.

There is no telling how long it will take to settle these big-ticket items, he said. Environmental concerns and bureaucratic rules lengthen the process, he said.

“It’s not a bash on FEMA,” O’Bryon said. “They’re a federal bureaucracy. A lot of people are looking over their shoulders. They’re not here to roll over and throw a lot of money at the community.”

In some cases, the state Office of Emergency Services will pay 75 percent of claims that FEMA rejects, he said.

Napa has retained Recovery Operations Specialty Services to help prepare claims and appeals. Earlier this month, the Napa City Council raised the consultant’s contract $15,000 to $40,000.