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PERB seeks additional funding
ST. CROIX, Jul 17, 2010 (The Virgin Islands Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Public Employees Relations Board officials testified on the governor's proposed $881,424 Fiscal Year 2011 budget for the board, asking for additional funding on top of that amount, as budget hearings continued on Friday.
"Although the PERB fully understands and supports the governor's quest to reduce the overall government's budget, PERB humbly asks for additional funding in the amount of $90,000," Zandra Petersen, executive director, told members of the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee.
The Public Employees Relations Board deals with labor issues involving government employees, including hearing, mediating and resolving disputes and investigating complaints about labor law violations.
The governor's budget request includes $653,724 to cover personnel and fringe benefits; $21,000 for supplies; $187,200 for other services and charges, including rent, telephone and inter-island travel; and $19,500 for utilities.
The Public Employees Relations Board office has 10 budgeted personnel positions, with eight on St. Croix and two on St. Thomas. One position is vacant, Petersen said.
The funding for the board's annual budget comes from the Union Arbitration Award and Government Employees Increment Fund.
The governor's budget request for the agency is an 11 percent increase over the FY 2010 appropriation of $793,880.
The additional $90,000 includes $85,000 that would be categorized under other services and charges. It would be used as funding to cover services such as maintaining office equipment and computer network systems, extermination services and security services, along with training and professional development, Petersen said.
It also includes $5,000 for capital outlay, she said.
Public Employees Relations Board chairman Aubrey Lee said that, during FY 2010, the board has cleared its backlog down to 82 cases, which is the lowest number of cases the board has had in its backlog since 1995.
The board's goals for FY 2011 include:
-- Increasing staff, including adding a hearing officer and a scan technician;
-- Expanding the connectivity of its computer system and the information available on its website;
-- Purchasing and installing videoconferencing hardware; and
-- Updating and replacing failing laptops and desktop computers.
To see more of The Virgin Islands Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper,
go to http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Virgin
Islands Daily News, St. Thomas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information
Services. For more information about the content services offered by
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com,
e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United
States, call +1 312-222-4544).
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