Government Funds Water, Derelict and Garbage Measures
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley The government has approved additional funding to address water shortages, remove derelict vehicles and increase payments to private garbage collectors as part of a $44.9 million Supplementary Appropriation Provision (SAP).
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley The government has approved additional funding to address water shortages, remove derelict vehicles and increase payments to private garbage collectors as part of a $44.9 million Supplementary Appropriation Provision (SAP). The SAP usually allows the government to redirect previously approved funds and authorise additional spending beyond allocations in the original 2026 budget.
Finance Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley revealed that $500,000 has been earmarked for subsidies to assist residents experiencing water shortages, while another $600,000 will support the removal of derelict vehicles and community clean-up efforts. “We have money to restart the war on derelicts.
Unfortunately, there are those in our population who are not responsible in terms of how they dispose of their derelict vehicles,” Dr Wheatley stated in the House of Assembly last week. He said clean-up work had already started in Havers, with plans to remove abandoned vehicles from others communities across Tortola, beginning in the east near the airport and progressing westward.
Additional funding will address the persistent nuisance of sargassum seaweed, while private garbage collection contractors will receive increased payments to offset rising fuel costs. Education and sports will also benefit, with funding for educational and sporting grants and the development of a bachelor’s degree programme at H.
Sporting infrastructure projects include replacing the multipurpose sports facility floor, covering the stands at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Ground and rebuilding the Bellevue Gym. The SAP also provides funding for outstanding salary increments for public officers and increased pension payments for retirees.
According to the figures presented by Premier Wheatley, approximately $26.7 million was allocated to recurrent expenditure, $14.7 million to capital expenditure and $3.5 million to capital acquisitions. However, not all the funding represents new expenditure, as significant portions involve reallocations within the existing budget.
Among the allocations is $5 million from the Transportation Network Improvement Fund for capital expenditure, while additional financing will come from the Consolidated Fund, Contingency Fund, Disaster Fund and grants. Dr Wheatley said the supplementary funding will help the government meet contractual obligations, maintain essential services and advance infrastructure improvements. “Many of the requests before the House provide funding for unavoidable expenditure, contractual commitments, essential public services, and the continuation of programmes that directly benefit the people of the Virgin Islands,” he explained.
Primary source: BVI News