ST. THOMAS, VI – The Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance, chaired by Senator Novelle E. Francis Jr., met in the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall on St. Thomas to receive testimony for the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget from the Virgin Islands Police Department, the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, and the Government Employees Retirement System.

Mario Brooks, Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department delivered a proposed budget of $73,339,167. Personnel costs total $40,345,456. Fringe totals $15,445,247. Supplies total $4,787,675. Other Supplies and Services total $10,519,603. There is a capital outlay of $440,000. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Department expended $24,126,044 in overtime.  As of July 24, 2025, the Department expended $13,157,633 in overtime. It is expected that $15,549,930 will be expended for overtime at the end of FY 2025, which is a 36% reduction. An additional $3 Million is expected to be received from the Tourism Revolving Fund to support VIPD’s tourism related initiatives.  $584,314 for the Peace Officers Standards and Training Fund is included in the budget. $11,714,637 is anticipated from Federal funds.  

The Department continues to collaborate with the Independent Monitoring Team on the path to full compliance with the remaining provisions of the Consent Decree. A paragraph that concerns Citizen complaints remains in compliance and is expected to be removed from the Consent Degree by March 2026. In Fiscal Year 2025, 15 new employees were hired.  17 Police Officers graduated from the Police Academy and entered active duty. However, there has been an annual turnover of 8.9%.  Brooks says that to combat this, the Police Cadet Program within high schools will be expanded. Since 2024, 18 cadets graduated from this program. 3 have been hired within the Department and two are expected to join shortly. A new e-citation program has been launched, which are then transmitted to the court system.  Phase II of camera installation is in its final stages, which is focused on Tilt Pan Zoom and License Place Reader Cameras. The Department also plans to modernize and improve its facilities throughout the territory.

Moleto Smith Jr., Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Planning Commission delivered a proposed budget of $734,766. This amount covers personnel services totalling $731,053.03, and other charges totalling $3,712.97. This amount has removed other services in its entirely from Fiscal Year 2025 budget. There are nine budgeted positions. Seven are unclassified. Two are classified-non-union. Smith stated that challenges include the supplanting of Federal Funds. In Fiscal Year 2025, the 35^th Legislature deleted the “Other Services” category with the expressed legislative intent of those costs being assumed by federal grant funds administered by the LEPC. The deleted “other services” category includes funds to cover costs associated with paying rent, electricity, water, telephones and janitorial services. The Department of Justice allows the use of federal funds to cover rent and utilities as an allowable cost, but it must supplement and not supplant local or federal funds. Smith requested that the legislature restore the “other services” category.

Angel Dawson Jr., Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Government Employees Retirement System delivered an overview of its operations. By law, GERS is not required to submit a budget to the Legislature for approval. Its Board of Trustees is responsible for approval of its proposed annual budget, which is expected to total $19,373,660.  There are 112 employees.  As of July 15, 2025, the GERS paid benefits to 8,780 retirees and beneficiaries. From October 1, 2024, to July 15, 2025, 240 retirees were added to the payroll. In that same time, 230 retirees were deleted from the payroll.  The total amount paid in benefits from October 1, 2024, to July 15, 2025, totalled $215,065,690.69. The average monthly amount paid in benefits to the retirees and beneficiaries totals $22 Million. The active membership was 9,456, including 6,680 from the Central Government and 2,776 from autonomous agencies.  As of July 24, 2025, $40,285,091.95 is due from semi-autonomous agencies.  GERS initiated limited personal loans to its qualifying retirees in 2024. The funding for the loans totalled $20 Million, with $10 Million available per district. Final numbers totalled 1,034 loans in the St. Croix District totalling $9,994,665 and 996 loans in the St. Thomas-St. John District totalling $9,711,244.

Dawson said that although the GERS situation had improved from “Critical” to “Serious”, citing its Actuarial Accrued Liability of $3.91 Billion and a Market Value of Assets totalling $552 Million, as of September 30, 2024, the GERS only had 14.1 cents in assets for every dollar of liabilities, a ratio of 14.1%. Dawson said that for GERS to be placed in “Good” category, it would have to be a ratio of 80%. Acknowledging the permanent adjustment of the rum cover over rate from $10.50 to $13.25 per gallon was not retroactive before December 31, 2025, he voiced concern that funding note payments would be about less than projected in 2023 and 2024. The Havensight Mall went from a net cash surplus of $193,279 in 2024 to $1,135,203 through May 31, 2025. The newly constructed hotel welcomed its first guest in August 2025, after having been under construction for less than two years.

Senators present at today’s Committee hearing were Chairman Novelle E. Francis Jr., Vice Chair Marvin A. Blyden, Ray Fonseca, Hubert L. Frederick, Kenneth L. Gittens, Franklin D. Johnson, Carla J. Joseph, and Kurt A. Vialet.

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