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CANTON, MO. -- The flood of 2008 is two years in the past, but it is still playing a big role in the minds and bank accounts of cities along the river.

For instance, Canton, Missouri is owed more than $425,000 from FEMA and SEMA, the federal and state emergency management agencies.

This is how those numbers break down.

$283,000 is to pay for labor during the flood fight.

$94,000 is for flood restoration projects.

And $50,000 is owed to Culver Stockton College, which served as an emergency operations center during the flood.

As KHQA's Jarod Wells found out, it's that smallest amount that is holding up the entire payment.

Once the waters receded from the Canton riverfront in 2008, FEMA identified 21 projects that either had been done during the flood fight or needed to be done as part of the recovery.

Former Canton mayor and mayor during 2008 flood Joe Clark said, "The total value placed on all those projects by FEMA was $1,389,000 in round numbers."

The city of Canton has finished all of those projects.

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Clark said, "One project is under appeal at this point in time and that is the use of Culver Stockton College facilities as an emergency operations center during the flood."

Culver Stockton College asked for more than $200,000. Its reimbursement from FEMA and SEMA, only about $41,000.

Clark said, "Naturally, the Culver Stockon College people were not satisfied with that at all. So they appealed that amount to the city, and the city in turn appealed that amount to SEMA, and of course SEMA in turn appealed that amount to FEMA."

Clark, who was Canton's mayor during the flood of 2008, says the appeals paperwork was submitted in May of this year, but has received no information about the process since then. Until that appeal is decided, Canton won't get any of its flood reimbursement money.

Clark said, "Both SEMA and FEMA tell us that they will not release any additional funds until all that paperwork is satisfied and that paperwork cannot be satisfied until the final payment to Culver Stockton College is made."

Because of those delayed flood payments, city hall has been forced to shift around some money in its budget, and postpone some major projects.

Canton's levee already had been restored by pre-flood conditions before the Mississippi River started to rise this spring.

But there are some low spots in the levee, and the city may use the 2008 flood reimbursement funds to fix them.