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WAPA gets reamed on this board but perhaps our disgust is misplaced. If the VI government agencies were to pay their $12.3 million in overdue utility bills, perhaps WAPA be able to meet our utility needs for a reasonable cost. Our utility payments subsidize the VI government, even though it's never referred to as a "tax," but corrupt politicians always seem to find plenty of cash in their budgets to pilfer, as well as Federal project money to return. If the VI government deems it illegal for WAPA to pull the plug on them for non-payment of government utility bills, WAPA can do little else but pass along their operating costs to those of us who don't have the luxury of being able to refuse to pay for our utility services. I suspect WAPA would be much better regarded by its customers if the VI government met its fiscal obligations and taxed us whatever it takes for them to be able to do so, provided of course that the bulk of those taxes did not end up in the aforementioned corrupt pockets. WAPA may simply be a scapegoat for our corrupt government.
"V.I. government agencies owe WAPA millions in unpaid water and light bills, forcing Bruno-Vega and WAPA's board to continually threaten to pull the plug. Inability to collect payments has hindered efforts to repair and modernize the utility, Bruno-Vega long complained. Outstanding electric bills for all V.I. government agencies totaled $12.3 million as of February 28. The Juan F. Luis Hospital owes the most -- $4.2 million. The hospital didn't make any payments in November 2006 or in February or March 2007 -- breaking a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies signed last year. The V.I. government owed more than $6.4 million in water bills as of February 28, including $2.4 million owed by the V.I. Housing Authority and more than $1 million owed by Luis Hospital."
http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1153550138
Posted : March 24, 2007 2:25 am
I've been saying this for several years now via published letters to the editor(s) and I believe the total indebtedness is over $12.3 million.
As far as I'm concerned, and this has been my point all along, WAPA indeed SHOULD pull the plug on every single government entity which owes them money - the same tactic they use when they shut off any private consumer or small business whose bill remains unpaid after the 10-day grace period. I might not even make an exception to the hospitals if their generators are operational.
I have no doubt that if WAPA treated their government accounts as they treat the private sector, that debt would be paid in a heartbeat.
Cheers!
Posted : March 24, 2007 3:41 am
Which is why no outside company will ever be able to run WAPA. We lost on that big time.
Posted : March 24, 2007 11:29 am
Lost on that big time for sure (the SouthEast Electric deal) and now Alberto Bruno-Vega is resigning (again) as of June 1st and one can't blame him. I was so happy when he returned, hoping he could make some changes. His letter of resignation was most eloquent but one only has to go behind the lines to realize how incredibly frustrating was his job.
Posted : March 25, 2007 3:32 am
