As Financial Shortfall Ripples Through Government, GERS Faces $100,000 Rent Payment Delays

At Thursday's meeting of the Government Employees' Retirement System (GERS) Board of Trustees, GERS Administrator Angel Dawson and Division of Personnel Director Cindy Richardson highlighted a pressing issue facing the U.S. Virgin Islands government: payment delays by the Department of Finance are causing widespread disruptions throughout the territory's financial system.

In his presentation to the trustees, Mr. Dawson pointed out that the Department of Justice and the Division of Personnel have fallen behind on their rent and utility payments, accumulating nearly $100,000 in arrears. “A lot of that has to do, of course, with dealing with their allotments and the release of those allotments based on the government’s cash flow," he said.

Ms. Richardson, who happened to be in attendance at the GERS board meeting, confirmed that was the case. Having completed the division’s internal accounting processes, “we are just really waiting on the Department of Finance to make those payments out in the next check run hopefully,” she stated.

“I have reached out to the commissioner [of Finance] and asked him to try to give us some preference when they look at those critical payment lists for you to get those payments,” Ms. Richardson told GERS trustees, noting that rental payments for January and February were also awaiting disbursement from the Department of Finance.