Roach says U.S. Virgin Islands removed from DOJ high-risk designation; property tax amnesty extended to Feb. 23

Acting Gov. Tregenza A. Roach said on Feb. 18, 2026, that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. was in Washington attending the National Governors Association Winter Meeting and the Interagency Group on Insular Areas Senior Plenary Session at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

At the weekly Government House briefing, Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission Executive Director Molito A. Smith Jr. said the U.S. Virgin Islands had been removed from the U.S. Department of Justice's high-risk designation, citing a Feb. 13, 2026, letter from Latoya A. Johnson, acting deputy director of the department's Audit and Review Division. Smith said the designation had been applied in 2012 and reaffirmed later, and said the change followed improvements in internal controls, risk management and compliance monitoring.

Smith said the change supports continued Justice Department grant funding for public-safety and justice programs, including equipment upgrades, corrections programming, youth and community-based programs, and victim services. He also said LEPC plans to coordinate with Bryan on a 2026 Virgin Islands Youth Symposium for people ages 14 to 22, with listening sessions planned for April 2026 and the event anticipated for July, August or early fall.

Roach also said the Street Addressing Initiative had been finalized on St. John and submitted to federal partners and mapping services, with residential sign installation underway. He said work on St. Thomas and St. Croix was more than 87% complete and that the first illuminated highway signs had been installed on St. Croix.

Roach said the property tax amnesty period, previously set to end on Feb. 21, 2026, would instead run through the close of business on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, because Feb. 21 fell on a Saturday. Under the program, interest and penalties were waived when property taxes for a tax year were paid in full before the deadline.

Government House said property owners with active installment payment plans had to contact the Office of the Tax Collector to cancel those plans to participate in the amnesty program.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/acting-governor-tregenza-a-roach-esq-provided-updates-on-federal-engagement-public-safety-street-addressing-and-property-tax-amnesty/