The Senate approved a roughly $645.5 million General Fund budget Tuesday to fund all the executive branch agencies, from V.I. Fire Services to the Department of Education for Fiscal Year 2014.
Separate budget bills passed Friday and Monday added more than $80.5 million to that, bringing the total General Fund budget to a little more than $726 million, not including several smaller appropriations.
Last week, the Senate passed budget bills appropriating $28.9 million from the General Fund to the University of the Virgin Islands, $1.2 million for the V.I. Elections System and providing partial funding for the Waste Management Authority, along with a series of intergovernmental transfers.
Monday, the Senate also approved budget bills Monday appropriating: $19 million for the V.I. Legislature: $28 million for V.I. Superior Court; $5.7 million for the V.I. Supreme Court and $3.4 million for the Office of the Public Defender.
That sum is up considerably from around $673 million in 2012, largely reflecting the expiration of eight percent government pay cuts instituted in 2011. It is very close to the General Fund budget for 2011, which totaled about $720 million at the time the budget was passed.
The budget numbers do not reflect recent news that federal remittances of alcohol excise taxes will be lower than anticipated. For that and other budgetary reasons, supplementary budget bills cutting costs and increasing revenues are expected in the days and weeks ahead. But the budget bills approved over the last several days form the backbone of the FY 2014 budget that will be amended here and there.
The largest item in the executive budget, as always, is the Education Department, which has a $154.9 million, $14.1 million for utilities, and $150,000 for cultural education. Other highlights include:
- Human Services $61.5 million, with $3.4 million for utilities;
- Police Department: $55.2 million with $2.6 million for utilities;
- Bureau of Corrections $24.3 million, of which $2.1 million is for utilities;
- Schneider Regional Medical Center: $21.3 million;
- Health Department: $20.1 million with $788,000 for utilities;
- Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital: $19.3 million;
- Public Works: $18.5 million, with $985,000 for utilities;
- Fire Services: $16.1 million, with $402,000 for utilities;
- Justice Department: $12.6 million, of which $936,000 is for utilities;
- Internal Revenue Bureau: $8.1 million, with $1.2 million for utilities.
- Office of the Governor: $7.7 million, of which $447,000 is for utilities;
- Planning and Natural Resources: $$6.5 million with $471,000 for utilities;
- Sports, Parks and Recreation: $5.9 million with $707,000 for utilities;
- Office of the Lieutenant Governor: $5.9 million, with $404,000 for utilities;
- Finance Department $4.9 million, with $785,000 for utilities;
- Labor Department $4.3 million with $174,000 for utilities;
- VITEMA: $4.2 million, with $516,000 for utilities;
- Licensing and Consumer Affairs: $2.8 million, with $113,000 for utilities;
- Tourism: $2.6 million, with $150,000 for utilities;
- Agriculture: $2.4 million with $150,000 for utilities;
- Personnel: $2.4 million, with $140,000 for utilities;
- Bureau of Information Technology: $2.2 million, with $155,00 for utilities;
- Management and Budget: $1.9 million, with $71,000 for utilities;
- Board of Education: $1.8 million, with $70,000 for utilities;
- Bureau of Motor Vehicles: $1.5 million with $106,000 for utilities;
- V.I. Inspector General: $1.4 million, with $47,000 for utilities;
- V.I. Energy Office: $1.3 million, with $58,000 for utilities;
- V.I. National Guard Office of the Adjutant General: $1.3 million , with $423,000 for utilities;
- Law Enforcement Planning Commission: $534,000 with $50,000 for utilities;
- Property and Procurement: $3.5 million, with $470,000 for utilities;
- V.I. Veterans Affairs Office: $317,000.
The General Fund total includes some $166 million from the miscellaneous section of the budget. Highlights of the miscellaneous section funding include:
- $36.9 million for retiree health insurance;
- $29.5 million for an increase in Workman’s Compensation;
- $9.1 million for Unemployment Insurance Contributions;
- $7.6 million for insurance of government buildings;
- $6 million for expenses related to closure of Hovensa;
- $6 million for additional MAP local match;
- $5.3 million for audit services;
- $5 million for critical vacancies;
- $4.7 million for the Economic Development Authority;
- $3.9 million for WTJX Public Television;
- $3 million for the Education Department’s third party fiduciary;
- $2.7 million for active employee’s health insurance;
- $2 million for the VIPD Excessive Force Consent Decree:
- $1.5 million for the Energy Crisis Program;
- $1.5 million for schools maintenance;
- $1.1 million for Legal Services of the Virgin Islands;
- $1.35 million for road repairs and striping;
- $1 million for outstanding contribution to government employees who retired after December 31, 2012;
- $1.96 million in grants to the V.I. Housing Finance Authority;
- $1.67 million to the St. Thomas East End Medical Center;
- $1.99 million to Frederiksted Health Center;
- $1.18 million for outstanding mental health obligations at the Health Department;
- and a host of smaller appropriations.
