Government

Budget Committee Advances $150K VIDE Asset Inventory Bill; Contract Cost Put at About $90K

The Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance has approved funding for the V.I. Department of Education to conduct a biennial inventory of approximately 486 federally funded assets across 65 sites, an exercise officials say is necessary for federal compliance and must be completed and validated by September 30. Bill 36-0308, sponsored by Senator Kurt Vialet, appropriates $150,000 from the Virgin Islands Education Initiative Fund for the assessment. However, VIDE Assistant Commissioner Victor Somme III later told lawmakers that the actual contract associated with the inventory is approximately $90,000, and Sen. Vialet is expected to revise the measure to reflect that amount. The assessment is necessary for VIDE’s compliance with U.S. Department of Education administrative requirements and is not the first such inventory undertaken by the department. Sen. Vialet said the process allows VIDE to “fully account for the assets and provides a level of transparency.” The invent...