Dear Source:
As a residential or business customer, if we do not pay our bill on time, WAPA will immediately cut off our power. WAPA has allowed government agencies to accumulate thousands and millions of dollars in unpaid utility bills and as usual, the residents of the VI have to bear the financial burden thru rate increases. Now, I understand that the cost of fuel is up and rising, but if the government would pay off the millions they owe WAPA tomorrow, we should get a little break to breathe. Payment for these unpaid utility should have been taken out of their budgets, the supervisors in charge of these agencies should have been fired, and prosecuted for mishandling government funds…we are talking hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars!
WAPA's management team has allot of blame to bear, first off, for not having the guts to pull the plug on the government; second, allowing the government agencies to rack up mind boggling bills.
Now, here we are, WAPA is trying to operate on old technology and equipment because they neglected to collect on the biggest overdue customer on the books, the VI Government! The legislature needs to appropriate money to pay this debt off. They are shuffling monies from one pot to the next, for this and that, oh we absolutely must pay this…wake up! This government debt is causing a domino effect of financial burden on the people of the VI, who are already struggling to survive from day to day. Time for WAPA's management team to do the right thing, pull the plug and demand payment! I do commend those few government agencies that have paid up and adapted energy saving methods.
Gigi Suarez
St. Croix
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to visource@gmail.com.
