After presenting his fiscal year 2024 budget, the Director of the Bureau of Information Technology, Rupert Ross, told the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriation and Finance Thursday afternoon the bureau does not recommend and did not purchase cyber security insurance.
“We become targets,” he said. “On the national level, there has been a lot of discussion. It’s 50-50 among the states. Half land on both sides. Half do, half don’t.”
Ross said the BIT understands what to do and “how to monitor for threats and vulnerabilities.” With a new grant, they are devising policies, plans and will set up a council of governmental agencies to “raise the level of awareness.”
Under questioning by Chairwoman Donna Frett-Gregory, Ross said there has been an increase in the number of devices and monitors employed by the department but he “can’t talk in public” about all of it.
The BIT budget request for FY 2024 is $12,833,138, with $2,657,823 for personnel and fringe benefits. Supplies are budgeted for $4,045,261, utilities at $250,000 and $5,881,312 for other services and charges.
Supplies include the purchase of IT and communications equipment and furniture upgrades.
The BIT budget requested funding for 31 positions, with 22 filled at this time. They are seeking a chief information security officer, business relationship manager, network systems manager, and help desk specialists. The security analyst, network administrator, radio frequency technician and a temporary help desk position are new positions.
Senators had a number of questions and comments for Director Ross — the agency generates no income.
Ross told Sen. Marvin Blyden that all of the new positions are “critical” and said they realize hiring locally full-time rather than a temporary employee is more economical.
Sen. Carla Joseph asked about grants and was told they haven’t used the funding yet on two received in 2021 but have obligated almost $60,000 on one of them.
“There have been no government breaches,” Ross responded to Sen. Ray Fonseca’s question.
Frett-Gregory requested he submit a breakdown of all of the salaries.
“We are going to scrub the numbers to make one final document,” she said.
The second hearing was for the V.I. Taxicab Commission to defend its budget request. However, only one person, Vernice Gumbs, executive director, attended and she spoke only in a whisper.
The hearing was rescheduled from June 1 when senators did not receive the information they needed and requested.
“In this meeting, it is critical that we get a good grasp on what is happening at the VITCC. We have a major crisis at the VITCC and it cannot continue the way it’s going, Joseph said at the time.
Frett-Gregory was obviously miffed and asked why none of the nine-member board or a staff member didn’t accompany her, knowing she couldn’t speak. The senator said she wouldn’t adjourn the meeting. It was up to Gumbs.
Gumbs said the board members had previous engagements and there is only one employee on St. Thomas. She admitted she could not speak loudly enough to answer questions.
Before calling the meeting, Frett-Gregory pointed out that the commission is “almost $300,000 in the red.”
“It is unfair for us to continue this meeting with the one-upmanship of Ms. Gumbs,” she said. “We need to have a conversation with the governor.”
Senators also were frustrated during the August 2022 meeting of the Taxicab Commission.
Sens. Frett-Gregory, Blyden, Fonseca, Carla Joseph, Sammuel Carrion, Javan James, Dwayne DeGraff and Novelle Francis were in attendance at Thursday’s hearing.
