Senate

Lawmakers Approve Fund Transfers for VITEMA, FEMS to Buy Supplies, Pay Vendors

The V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency and the V.I. Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) will now have the money they need to conduct crucial aspects of their operations, as transfer requests for the two entities were approved by the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance on Monday. For fiscal year 2023, FEMS was allocated over $33.7 million, with over $32.5 million of that amount being used to meet operational needs. The agency has requested a transfer of $300,000 from the "other services and charges" budget category to the "capital outlay" category, in order to pay outstanding invoices from vendors, one of whom is owed $168,000 for the sale of self-contained breathing apparatus, according to FEMS Director Daryl George. Asked how the equipment had arrived without a purchase order, Mr. George explained that it was an accidental shipment of the vendor.  Mr. George initially wanted the balance of the money to go towards building an office space, but when...