{"id":20660,"date":"2015-04-11T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-04-11T10:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=20660"},"modified":"2015-04-12T05:44:43","modified_gmt":"2015-04-12T05:44:43","slug":"mapp-cuts-government-department-budgets-by-8-percent-education-hit-hardest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=20660","title":{"rendered":"Mapp Cuts Government Department Budgets By 8 Percent, Education Hit Hardest"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. CROIX — Rumors spreading throughout the territory that Governor Kenneth Mapp is preparing to cut government employees’ salaries by 8 percent are false, however the administration has slashed the budgets of most government departments and agencies by the aforementioned percentage.<\/p>\n

VI Consortium<\/em> confirmed the 8 percent cut with freshman Sen. Kurt Vialet on Friday during an interview at the \u00a0senator’s office. Vialet said he contacted Mapp’s financial team, including the\u00a0Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Nellon Bowry, seeking clarification on the matter.<\/p>\n

“We received a large number of concerns about employees getting an 8 percent cut, but we did call the financial team and spoke to the director of OMB and he assured us the 8 percent cut is to departments and government entities, not employees,” Vialet said.<\/p>\n

Among the departments receiving cuts, the Department of Education was the hardest hit, losing $12 million as a result of the budget reduction. The former educator also made known that while most departments saw their budgets trimmed, both the Juan F. Luis and the Roy Lester Schneider hospitals were left untouched, along with “one or two other departments.”<\/p>\n

The governor has the \u00a0authority to cut the budget of government departments and agencies without senate approval or involvement, Vialet said, and while there wasn’t any formal announcement by the governor in relation to the across-the-board reductions, Mapp’s financial team, while testifying at the legislature recently, did comment on looming cutbacks because of the government’s budget deficit — which continues to linger at $144 million.<\/p>\n

In his State of the Territory Address in January<\/a><\/span>, Mapp said the territory was on the brink of financial collapse because there was essentially no money to govern, and that “this new administration\u00a0must now begin with a critical shortage of funds and obligations that far outpace revenues projected for fiscal year 2015.”<\/p>\n

Mapp said the V.I. government has spent \u201cevery penny we have laid our hands on,\u201d and lamented decisions made by the former de Jongh administration that allowed private-sector businesses to gain access to public funds and benefits without putting up collateral.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have borrowed and borrowed again, not only for ourselves and essential services, but also for others, to fund private-sector ideas called public-private partnerships, where we didn\u2019t even require or ask our private partners to put capital, equity and\/or risk on the table,\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have borrowed to fund projects that the federal government would have gladly funded; projects it has funded for the territory in the past,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, financially, we are not in a good place. In fact, our territory has never been in such a state in our history.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the governor has come under fire for giving pay raises to cabinet members while the territory’s economic state remains dire, and for his $12,500 rental mansion in St. Thomas<\/a><\/span>\u00a0paid for by tax payers.<\/p>\n

At a press conference held on Tuesday at Government House in Christiansted, VI Consortium<\/em> asked the governor about the residence and his plans for Catherineberg<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be very, very clear. I got elected and my priorities have nothing to do really with where I live and accommodations provided by the government,\u201d Mapp said. \u201cI own my own home of which I\u2019ve owned from 2001. I live there when I\u2019m on St. Croix. There\u2019s residence made available to me by the government when I\u2019m on St. Croix of which I have not slept in. I\u2019m still in my own home and I\u2019m happy to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The territory\u2019s leader also reminded that he is required to reside on St. Thomas in according with law, however, Mapp said he will not live in a house that could be detrimental to his health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Revised Organic Act requires me to take up residence on the Island of St. Thomas, but I\u2019m not going to live in a place that\u2019s not healthy, that\u2019s not safe, that cannot provide accommodations that require for the duties of my office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Still, Mapp believes repairs at Catherineberg are overdue, as well as a determination as to what should be the final purpose of the aging mansion. The governor also made known that he plans on exiting the St. Thomas rental that\u2019s costing tax payers $12,500 every month.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we will do an assessment of Catherineberg, there will be repairs of Catherineberg, I do have a plan to exit the Nazareth property. I can\u2019t give you a date on when that exodus will occur, but I think overall, and I\u2019ve been on this public stage for quite a while, as a government and as a territory, we need to come to a resolution on this issue with residencies for governors and lieutenant governors. It\u2019s been provided since governor\u2019s were appointed by presidents,\u201d Mapp said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ST. CROIX — Rumors spreading throughout the territory that Governor Kenneth Mapp is preparing to cut government employees’ salaries by 8 percent are false, however the administration has slashed the budgets of most government departments and agencies by the aforementioned percentage. VI Consortium confirmed the 8 percent cut with freshman Sen. Kurt Vialet on Friday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[228,11,854,191,147],"tags":[1621,1622,108],"yoast_head":"\nMapp Cuts Government Department Budgets By 8 Percent, Education Hit Hardest - V.I. 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