Government

Mapp Cuts Government Department Budgets By 8 Percent, Education Hit Hardest

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 during an interview at the  senator's office. Vialet said he contacted Mapp's financial team, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Nellon Bowry, seeking clarification on the matter. "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. Among the departments receiving cuts, the Department of Education was the hardest hit, losing $12 million as a result of the budget reduction. The forme...