Additional budget requests top 35M, SFC questions Tourism and Public Works Commissioners

~~Adz:Left~~St. Croix, USVI- AS the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) considers several budget requests made by Virgin Island governmental departments and committees, two more departments have made their own requests for a whopping combined US $35,191,616.

On Wednesday, the Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner informed the SFC that the requested 2009 Fiscal Year budget request of $4,589,326 was critical to the department and their quest to “maintain the territory as a top Caribbean destination”.

Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty explained that over half of the funds will go toward departmental operating costs, some would encompass fringe benefits while smaller amounts would cover supplies and increasing utility charges.

The Tourism budget requests exceed last year’s by more than 4% while the Public Works Department’s budget requests are up by about 7.27 percent.

Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls said his 2009 Fiscal Year budget request of US $30,602,290 would mainly be utilized to complete major tasks including a $6.4 million subsidy for VITRAN, the Christiansted Bypass in St. Croix and the first phase of the Long Bay Road project on St. Thomas.

Public Works will also benefit from an additional $52,439,859 in funding and federal grants from several funds including the Tourism Revolving Fund, the St. John Capital Improvement Fund and the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration.

Smalls also outlined some of the impending undertakings of his department which are slated to begin in 2009 which include the demolition and reconstruction of the Toro Building on St. Croix, the constructing a new library and record center for the Planning and Natural Resources Department on St. Thomas and the upgrade and repairing of several schools in the territory.