Governor Albert Bryan delivering his third State of the Territory Address on Mon., March 25, 2021 at the V.I. Legislature in the territory's capital. Photo Credit: VI LEGISLATURE
Governor Albert Bryan descended on the V.I. Legislature Monday night not only with a document of words but also with passionate body language as he delivered his third State of the Territory Address. Almost like a minister of the gospel attempting to convince congregants of better days ahead, Mr. Bryan delivered his address with frequent hand gestures and body movement, hoping the territory would buy his overall theme and bank on his statement that the USVI is "resurgent."
A speech built around Covid-19
Resurgent, he said, from the Covid-19 pandemic that ravaged economies around the world as it brought work to a screeching halt beginning March 2020. The governor's speech was dominated by Covid-19; some lawmakers even contended that he spent too much time recounting the events of last year. Indeed, Mr. Bryan's speech included at least 11 straight pages of Covid-19-related references as he spoke of events beginning in March, and highlighted the administration's response as a success. "While some may debate our decisions and our methods in controlling the spread of the coronavirus, there is no debate regarding the results. We have kept our people safe," Mr. Bryan proclaimed.
Of the Covid-19 successes, Mr. Bryan said he was one of the first governors in the U.S. to implement a mask mandate for businesses and workplaces. He said his administration began requiring negative Covid-19 tests for incoming travelers early on; and stated that the USVI to date has performed 60,000 tests on 40,000 individuals. The governor said some Virgin Islanders were amazed that the territory received the vaccines so quickly, and he encouraged Virgin Islanders to take the shots to help end the deadly pandemic.
The territory has seen a number of Covid-19 outbreaks, and the Bryan administration was heavily criticized for its efforts surrounding testing for individuals entering the territory, which is believed to have led to the Limetree Bay outbreak in July. To date, 24 Virgin Islanders have died as a result of Covid-19.
The governor also highlighted the work of the V.I. Dept. of Labor during the pandemic, stating, "They have processed over 17,000 unemployment claims and paid out just under $110 million in much-needed employment assistance."
Mr. Bryan spoke of federal CARES Act funds distributed to 47,395 Virgin Islanders totaling $79.5 million. He highlighted federal dollars provided to small businesses around the U.S. and its territories, and said his administration provided 7,671 local businesses with a $500 credit and over 44,000 households with a $250 credit toward their light bills.
Through the Dept. of Human Services, he reminded, "we provided more than $20 million in food assistance through the Pandemic-EBT program to the families of over 14,000 Virgin Islands students."
All the aforementioned were funds provided to the local government by Congress as a result of the pandemic, and the territory's only job was to execute. The administration's efforts with both the Dept. of Labor and the Bureau of Internal Revenue were criticized, as Pandemic Unemployment Insurance was slow out the gate, and B.I.R. was castigated for taking months before issuing direct stimulus payments provided by the federal government.
The governor praised the Dept. of Education for demonstrating "flexibility and creativity by successfully facilitating its first ever virtual graduations." In praising educators, Mr. Bryan announced 1,300 checks he said would go out to teachers this week as a token of the administration's appreciation for educators who used their personal funds to help students with virtual learning.
Economy
Mr. Bryan said the pandemic brought along many opportunities as federal dollars poured into the USVI. "Disaster recovery activity, consistent employment at the Limetree Bay facility, COVID-related federal funding, and a surge in overnight guests are the major influences currently bolstering our fiscal strength," he said. "We have maintained at least 30 days of cash on hand for most of last year. We hope to finally say, gone are the days of measuring cash on hand in the single digits. As promised two years ago, we have brought stability to this government."
The governor spoke on his administration's efforts in delivering tax refunds to Virgin Islanders in a timely fashion, stating 24,718 checks were issued taxpayers in 2020 totaling $69 million. "This is the most income tax refunds ever paid in a single fiscal year," Mr. Bryan said. "And we have already paid out more than $15 million dollars in the current fiscal year, finishing out payments for 2017 and paying tax year 2018."
As reported by the Consortium, Mr. Bryan announced a plan to restore the 8 percent cut of government employees' salaries that was enacted during the John P. de Jongh administration in 2011. He also called for the unification of the West Indian Company and the V.I. Port Authority, which we previously reported as well.
State of Education
Mr. Bryan said high school graduation rate grew from 62.6 percent in 2019 to 70.9 in 2020, though he failed to mention that educators were not allowed to give grades below 70 percent, which is the passing mark. He lauded the Dept. of Education for successful virtual graduations, and recognized the department's food service workers for delivering over 580,000 meals territory-wide to school-aged children through D.O.E.'s "No V.I. Child Goes Hungry" initiative.
"While we recognize the current school year has had its expected challenges, the transition to digital spaces expanded our use of technology in the educational system," Mr. Bryan said. He said his administration remains committed to "equipping every child with a device and has already distributed 5,265 Chromebooks/tablets and 2,150 MiFi devices."
The governor also spoke of school demolition and rebuilding, revealing that D.O.E. had completed its territory-wide Educational Facility Master Plan as scheduled on June 30th. "This plan will guide the future investment of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal recovery funds earmarked for reconstructing the public school system in the Virgin Islands," Mr. Bryan said. "Contracts are in place for several projects in furtherance of this plan."
Road Repairs
Mr. Bryan said road improvements are currently underway at Crown Bay in St. Thomas. Additionally, the Estate Thomas Infrastructure Project - Phase 1 is scheduled to start and additional paving will be done on the Bolongo Bay Drainage Infrastructure Project, he said.
"This year will also see the completion, years in the making, of two longstanding road projects, the Main Street Enhancement Project, and the Veterans Drive – Phase One. Both will enhance the traffic flow and aesthetics of downtown Charlotte Amalie," Mr. Bryan said. "We already see how the expansion of the waterfront project has improved the quality of life for citizens in its district, as it is now utilized for walking, cycling, and running."
On St. John, repairs to Estate Adrian Road are in progress as well as a $2.8 million repair to Centerline Road.
On St. Croix, Mr. Bryan said extensive road repairs were completed in Estates Hermon Hill, Rattan, Richmond, Tipperary, Union-Mount Washington, Sally’s Fancy, and Sion Farm, on Hess Road, West Airport Road, and the Scenic Road.
"In the upcoming year, work will begin on the new Clifton Hill Road - Route 75, and over five miles of Mahogany Road will be paved. I also thank the members of the 33rd Legislature for making $4.5 million available from the St. Croix Capital Improvement Fund to pave roads in Estates La Reine, Bugby Hole, Herman Hill, and St. George. We are intent on providing traffic and pavement relief to our residents in both districts," Mr. Bryan said.
The governor said his administration would dedicate $20 million from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund debt service reserve to fix these problems. However, the Debt Service Reserve Fund can only be accessed through a refinancing or restructuring of the territory's bonds; one cannot simply dismantle the Debt Service Reserve Fund.
WAPA
The governor seemed to have recognized that the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, "is still plagued with management inefficiencies." The authority, he said, "has a tremendous opportunity to transform itself if it can only overcome its immediate challenges. Most glaring is the failures within the billing system." He said despite the installation of smart meters and automated metering infrastructure several years ago, "we are still faced with delayed and estimated billing and billing errors."
"I have called on WAPA’s Board to fully investigate the lingering issues, demonstrate accountability, and give ratepayers reasonable rates. Customers must feel confident that what is billed is what is owed," he said. Mr. Bryan is the same governor, however, who has vetoed multiple bills seeking to hold WAPA accountable.
On the positive end, the territory's leader said WAPA has entered into a $75 million contract with Wartsila for the engineering, procurement, and construction of four new generators, and a battery storage system at St. Thomas’ Randolph Harley Power Plant. "These units will be onsite by June of this year," he said. The units will replace the aging generators and the rented equipment that WAPA has relied on for decades and will increase reliability and efficiency of the Harley power plant, while reducing maintenance and fuel costs, the governor said.
Additionally, WAPA's $742 million of mitigation projects include backup generators and the installation of composite poles across the territory. Among them are projects to place electrical lines underground in both St. Croix and St. John, which Mr. Bryan said was set to commence in February. He said phase 1 of the restoration of the St. Thomas East End Substation was completed in July 2020 and Phase II is expected to be completed this year.
VIPD
On the efforts of the V.I. Police Department, Mr. Bryan said the department continues to improve its performance in addressing violent crime. "Last year, VIPD arrested 21 homicide suspects. That is progress when compared to prior years. Sadly, many homicide suspects are themselves murdered before they can be brought to justice, leaving friends and family of their victims with no closure," said the governor.
"Through traffic stops and other initiatives, we took 175 illegal firearms off the streets. More importantly, those stops flagged numerous individuals who are engaged in the irresponsible act of purchasing and carrying unregistered firearms. Also, we are pleased to say that VIPD demonstrated its resolve by arresting eight individuals and confiscating 17 unlicensed firearms on New Year’s Eve. We have zero tolerance for the celebratory gunfire that unnerves and endangers our residents each year on that day," he added.
Mr. Bryan said the V.I.P.D. was "stepping up our efforts to intercept firearms that are being illegally smuggled through our ports of entry." To that end, the police force is forming partnerships with airlines and solidifying coordination among relevant enforcement agencies, said the governor. "We look forward to submitting legislation to complement our efforts. The proposed legislation seeks to clarify licensing requirements and declaration processes for transporting firearms, ammunition and accessories into the Territory Further, we will seek to require 24-hour notice of intent to import firearms into the Territory to facilitate VIPD search and declaration," he said.
The governor also placed some responsibility in solving crime on residents, stating, "We must stop accepting and embracing the criminal element living amongst us. We must let them know that their chosen lifestyle is destructive to the culture and values that Virgin Islanders pride themselves on and it will not be tolerated. We must commit to making life as uncomfortable for them as much as they make it for us. Those residents harboring, enabling and benefiting from persons participating in illicit activities will also be sought out and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Government Employees' Retirement System
Mr. Bryan saved his last subject for the territory's most dire problem, though he offered no clear solution on how G.E.R.S. would be saved or salvaged. Instead, the governor spent considerable time talking about his securitization plan that failed after multiple attempts in the Senate.
"We have some additional solutions we will present to the Senate this year, but none of these will be as straightforward or as immediate as the refunding of the Internal Revenue Matching Fund bonds would have been," Mr. Bryan said. "When we failed to act on that we lost $285 million in savings, the opportunity to access another $155 million in cash currently held in reserve at the request of our current investors, the chance to re-access the credit market and to get the positive attention of the larger rating agencies."
Advertisements
