Lower budget would hurt operations – DPS

Officials of the Department of Public Safety griped yesterday on what they claim as meager budget set aside by the government for the next fiscal year, warning that lower spending level would hamper their operations to maintain peace and order on the island.

In a nearly three-hour budget hearing conducted by the House Ways and Means Committee, DPS prodded legislators to reinstate the funding level that they approved last year to ensure continued delivery of services to the community.

Acting DPS Commissioner Vicente T. Seman said the department would be able to operate effectively with an appropriation of $14.3 million, which is the same level under Public Law 11-41 or the Budget Act of 1999.

About $13.2 million has been earmarked to the DPS for FY 2000 — a drop of nearly 8t percent from the previous allocation, but actually is higher than the $12.4 million spending limit that was implemented by the government in November last year to reflect the 13.4 percent across-the-board cut.

Finance officials underscored the need to increase the budget, saying the Tenorio administration is “sensitive” to the needs of critical agencies like DPS, which have been given larger share of the government resources amid shrinking revenues.

“Despite of it, we have given DPS additional $780,000. Who else are we going to cut,” asked Joaquin Blanco of the Office of Management and Budget at the hearing.

He said the projected revenues of the Commonwealth for the next fiscal year have gone down as much as $38 million compared with the FY 1999 estimate, and distributing these resources has been difficult for the administration.

“Our funds are not as abundant as it used to be,” Blanco said, “but because the administration is sensitive to DPS, the Department of Public Health and the Public School System, they have been spared from additional cut” in recent months.

But DPS officials pointed out that the proposed reduction in their new budget will impact on their operations, noting the smaller amount granted for their fuel and gasoline needs as only $14,000 have been given to them for the entire year.

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, who chairs the Fiscal Affairs Committee in the upper house, questioned how this amount will be sufficient to run police cars and ambulance.

“We have to come up with innovative ways to run these vehicles without fuel,” he said, cautioning legislators not to quickly lay blame on the department if it could not provide services to the community.

DPS has spent more than $63,000 over the last 10 months alone for its gasoline needs. Fuel consumption by the agency has increased that Mobil, which supplies gasoline to the department, has recently threatened to cut off its service if DPS does not settle its unpaid billings.

According to Reyes, the department must prioritize its expenditures to accommodate their critical needs. “It’s a monstrous task for OMB to try to balance the meager resources that we have,” he said.

Rep. Dino Jones said that DPS should undertake a cost-budget analysis to lower fuel costs, suggesting that police officers could use bicycle or motorcycle to respond to emergencies.