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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesWAPA TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES: PAY UP OR ELSE

WAPA TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES: PAY UP OR ELSE

Water and Power Authority board members are moving to collect the $30-million plus account-due bill owed by the V.I. government.
The board authorized the utility’s management to send letters to those governmental agencies that have accounts 60 days past due. If the offenders don’t make a "meaningful" effort to settle their bills they will be shut off, according to WAPA board chairwoman Carol Burke.
Burke said debts owed by some agencies are more serious than others. Meanwhile, WAPA will send letters to the following entities, among others:
– The Legislature, which owes approximately $195,000 for electricity and $31,000 for water.
– The Housing Authority, which owes approximately $5.7 million for water.
– The Housing Finance Authority, which owes approximately $350,000 for water.
– Port Authority, which owes approximately $84,000 for electricity and $144,000 for water.
Burke, a former V.I. senator, said the government’s debt has been building for several years but she and other new board members won’t allow it to grow larger. She said the lack of payment by the government is affecting the "viability" of WAPA’s operations.
"Our approach is different and we definitely intend to collect what’s due…," she said. "We cannot continue to ignore the situation."
The board made its decision Thursday with Burke, Claude Molloy, Arthur Downing, G. Luz James and William Lomax voting yes; Andrew Rutnik voting no; and Ira Hobson abstaining. Dean Plaskett was absent.

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