Several animal welfare organizations are reporting uneven progress on promised government funding, with one St. Croix group saying it received a partial payment, the Animal Care Center on St. John still awaiting its allocation, and the Humane Society of St. Thomas waiting for confirmation that a government check said to have been processed has arrived.
The updates followed an announcement from the Humane Society of St. Thomas that it would greatly curtail services to the community because of a lack of funds. In response, Senator Angel Bolques issued correspondence suggesting that the more than $180,000 owed to the organization by the government would be received shortly.
“Our office has been actively working with the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Finance over the past several weeks on this matter, and to monitor the status of the appropriated funds for the Humane Society of St. Thomas and the other animal welfare organizations,” Senator Bolques wrote on Wednesday.
“This morning, I was notified by the Chief of Staff for the Department of Finance that the payment for the Humane Society of St. Thomas was processed in yesterday's check run,” he continued. “Our office will continue to monitor the process until we receive confirmation that the payment has been received by the organization.”
Other animal welfare organizations responded to the senator’s correspondence. On St. Croix, R.E.A.L. Cruzan Cats indicated that it had received a partial payment of the funds owed to the organization.
Meanwhile, the Animal Care Center on St. John said it had not received any allocated funding for the year. “We remain hopeful that the check will arrive soon,” said Manager Robyn Payne.
As of press time, it was not clear whether the check said to be on the way to the Humane Society of St. Thomas had been received.
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