74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesSENATORS TO PROBE 'ILLEGAL' SCHNEIDER-ERA SPENDING

SENATORS TO PROBE 'ILLEGAL' SCHNEIDER-ERA SPENDING

When the Senate Finance Committee reconvenes on Tuesday for what is scheduled to be its next-to-last day of taking testimony before beginning the markup of the administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2000 budget, it will have three items on its agenda, any one of which could occupy the panel for the full day.
The committee, chaired by Sen. Lorraine Berry, will start its deliberations with a fiscal blast from the past — the alleged expenditure in the last administration of some $2.8 million by the Housing Finance Authority without legislative authorization.
Berry has asked three key financial officials in the adminstration of former Gov. Roy Schneider to testify: Nellon Bowry, director of the Office of Management and Budget; Juan Centeno, Finance commissioner; and Jose George, HFA director.
The mandate of the Housing Finance Authority is to provide affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents. One objective of the Finance Committee probe is to determine "who approved the release of the money," Berry said.
Gov. Charles Turnbull stated on Tuesday that financial analysts working on the administration's proposed Reorganization and Consolidation Plan discovered that the $2.8 million had been spent without legislative authorization. Both the governor and Sen. Berry have pronounced the expenditure "illegal."
The committee's second order of business Tuesday will be to take testimony on the reported deficit in the Government Insurance Fund, the repository of Workers Compensation funds. Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull, in her capacity as custodian of the GIF, and Labor Commissioner Sonia Jacobs-Dow have been asked to appear before the panel.
The third item to be taken up will be the proposed Reorganization and Consolidation Plan. The co-chairs of the reorganization committee — the governor's chief of staff, Juel Molloy; chief legal counsel, Paul Gimenez; and special assistant Ohanio Harris — have been asked to testify.
On Wednesday, the committee is scheduled to receive an update on revised revenue projections from current OMB director Ira Mills, Finance Commissioner Turnbull, Bureau of Internal Revenue director Claudette Farrington, tax assessor Ray Martin and Bureau of Economic Research director Angela Ramos-Michael.
Berry said the Finance Committee's markup of the revised FY2000 budget will take place Oct. 12 and 13.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.