Virgin Islands Gov. Mapp Says There Will Be No 'Snags' In Accessing Federal Dollars
ST. CROIX — Governor Kenneth Mapp spoke with The Consortium on Wednesday to respond to an article the online paper published relative to a possible block in territory’s way of receiving the billions of dollars in federal funding made available following the 2017 storms. The article relied on the governor’s own quote while speaking to Department of Interior (D.O.I.) officials in Washington last week, where Mr. Mapp said the territory’s fiscal position made it difficult to meet the local match needed to secure certain federal funding.
According to D.O.I., Mr. Mapp acknowledged the territory’s long road to recovery, and it was discussed that various federal disaster recovery programs available to Virgin Islands require a local funds match from 10 to 25 percent of the project. Mr. Mapp explained that the loss in government revenues due to the hurricanes further stressed the government’s fiscal position and its ability to meet the local matching fund requirements for various federal programs that were critical to forwarding the territory’s continuing recovery.
But in a conversation with The Consortium on Wednesday, the governor said the local government had no blocks in its way to accessing the funds. He said a plan was being prepared that would soon be presented to the federal government for use of the $243 million presented to the local government by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) in February.
The governor explained that the local funding match is actually included in the monies being provided by the federal government, stressing the point several times.
Read more: http://viconsortium.com/featured/mapp-says-there-will-be-no-snags-in-accessing-federal-dollars/
Related article:
A Snag In The Way Of The VI Government Receiving Federal Dollars: Matching Funds Requirement
Original Story: ST. THOMAS — The sum of $1.6 billion to the U.S. Virgin Islands was announced by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) Secretary Ben Carson, along with Governor Kenneth Mapp just last week. The announcement was the largest of its kind to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it immediately sent a shimmer of hope through the territory, which continues to struggle from the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The funds, along with the $243 million announced in February by H.U.D., are to help the U.S.V.I. in a broad range of areas. “Our goal is to get people back into their homes, get people back to work, to build a stronger U.S. Virgin Islands for future generations,” Mr. Carson told us during an interview last week. “These grants will restore homes and jobs, and repair critical infrastructure like roads, bridges, sewers, waterways, and also the island’s electrical grid.”
Read more: http://viconsortium.com/business/a-snag-in-the-way-of-the-vi-government-receiving-federal-dollars-matching-funds-requirement/