WAPA board temporarily raised CEO spending authority to $5 million for St. Croix water-quality emergency

Official document: https://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/2023-pr/press-release-(10.30.23)-wapa-governing-board-of-directors-temporarily-increase-financial-delegation-of-ceo-andrew-smith.pdf?sfvrsn=c0dcd605_3

Archive page: https://www.viwapa.vi/news-information/press-releases/press-release-details/2023/10/30/wapa-governing-board-of-directors-temporarily-increase-financial-delegation-of-ceo-andrew-smith-to-address-water-quality-emergency-on-st.-croix

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s governing board voted at an emergency meeting on October 30, 2023, to temporarily raise Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Andrew Smith’s financial delegation of authority to address the water-quality emergency on St. Croix.

The board increased Smith’s spending authority from $750,000 to $5 million. WAPA said the expanded authority was limited to expenditures tied to the St. Croix water-quality emergency and was set to expire automatically on March 31, 2024.

WAPA said Smith was required to provide the board with weekly expenditure reports. The board also said it retained the right to change the duration and scope of the emergency delegation.

According to WAPA, the authorized spending categories included infrastructure repair and replacement, personnel and labor costs, water-quality testing and analysis, emergency communications, logistics and transportation, emergency procurement of supplies, environmental impact mitigation, and legal and regulatory compliance.