It’s A Happy New Year At DPNR
Nearly $1 million in salary and benefits added at DPNR in January
The economic crisis has “devastated” our government funds; the Virgin Islands is running a monthly deficit of $25 million; tax revenues have fallen 30%; and the Legislature has been warned that even more borrowing will be requested this spring.
How then can one justify the addition of nearly a million dollars in salary and benefits added to the payroll of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources since January 1, 2010?
The attached appointment letters for 17 new hires represent a total of $763,500 in salaries. A conservative estimate of the cost of benefits is 25% of salary, or another $190,875, for a total of some $954,375 in new payroll expense.
Among the new hires are T. Stuart Smith, Planner St. John, $75,000; Noel Sanes, Engineer, $60,000; Terry Vanterpool, Assistant Director, AHP, $60,000; and numerous assistants, special assistants, and special project coordinators.  In his State of the Territory Address, Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. said the global economic crisis and falling tax revenues have “devastated” the government coffers and said that by borrowing $250 million earlier this year against future Diageo and Cruzan revenues helped avoid the layoffs of government employees. “It is the rum agreements that have enabled us to keep our government workers on the job and on the payroll, to keep our government functioning,” he said.
“But we are hardly out of the crisis, and all will be called upon to continue to do their part,” he continued. “We all must stretch and dig a bit deeper, because we know that the financial challenges have not abated.”Â
All this being the case, we must question the wisdom of this surge in hiring when borrowing against future revenues is being used to fund current operational expenses and more borrowing is anticipated. Are these really essential positions? What happened to the hiring freeze?
Is this what you mean by digging deeper?
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P.S. I bet you she won’t pay back that cell phone bill.
Exactly who is this employee at PNR that can abuse the government like this and Mathis does nothing? I told you he is just wasting government money playing golf on work time or just sleeping as usual. Hope this was not fed money, SHAME ON YOU MATHIS.
What about what is happening at IRB?
Question: Which lady is currently employed at IRB in St Thomas, had a surprise B-day party for her husband at deWolf’s Headquarter in St Thomas and is currently under investigation and being question by the FEDS for the alleged “loss” of close to 1 MILLION DOLLARS?
There’s a lot more to come……Trust
Goodbye John deJongh (Mr. 1 term governor)
It’s time that the IG start to look at IRB they have been running a game from the time this dejongh came to office for his frinds and some business men coming in to the VI, if you want them to go to jail that is where they need to look first, if you think that fixing his home was bad, well take a look at IRB.
If there are ‘irregularties’ taking place at the IRB rest assured
people WILL be taken to task.How can one agent (assuming the ‘lady’holds the position of an Internal Revenue Agent)allow her government to lose a million dollars in tax revenue WITHOUT
the knowledge and consent of the board’s Director? Unless,of course,SHE is the Director.Either way there will be consequences.
correction:’irregularities’.
Did you read the IG’s report on IRB? Things have been happening there long before this administration.