Mayor's Council asks Guam EPA to extend recycling program expenditure deadline; DPW files abandoned-vehicle plan

Joy D'Arzail, a representative of the Mayor’s Council (MCOG), asked the Guam Environmental Protection Agency board on Oct. 2 to extend the expenditure deadline for several fiscal-year grants so outstanding invoices from FY2023 and FY2024 can be paid.

The request centers on MCOG-managed recycling and solid-waste services that MCOG says left vendors unpaid. “They had all conferred and voted that they wanna go ahead and return the program back to EPA,” D’Arzail said, describing a September council vote to return the program effective FY2026. D’Arzail said the council still plans to spend FY2025 funds, but invoices tied to earlier fiscal years remain unpaid and MCOG is asking Guam EPA to extend the expenditure period to June 30, 2026, so vendors can be paid.

Board members and staff asked for clarifications about which fiscal years and accounts would be affected. Agency staff confirmed the FY2025 appropriation of $1,500,000 was deposited in January 2025 and that MCOG awarded some solicitations for services (for example, tire disposal) but that a procurement protest on the abandoned-vehicle contract is pending at the Office of the Public Auditor, delaying work and payments. At one point a board member said approximately $280,000 relates to FY2023 services that have not yet been paid.

Michelle (Administrator, Guam EPA) told the board that an extension letter could be issued to allow MCOG to pay outstanding invoices and that staff would continue to assist in processing vendor payments. “We could just extend the letter. I mean, provide the extension letter,” she said during the discussion.

Separately, Guam Department of Public Works (DPW) submitted an operational and expenditure plan for an abandoned-vehicle cleanup program and is requesting $2,000,000. DPW’s plan, according to agency staff, concentrates on abandoned vehicles and lists equipment, operators and heavy equipment needed to remove and load vehicles; it does not, at present, include the wider list of items MCOG handled such as tires, white goods and electronics. The board asked DPW to provide a formal presentation at a later meeting and indicated the DPW plan will be reviewed against the same procedural and invoicing requirements that apply to MCOG’s program.

Board members discussed longer-term policy options, including a registration surcharge and tightened title-transfer procedures to reduce future abandoned-vehicle burdens. No formal board vote to approve an expenditure-extension was recorded at the Oct. 2 meeting; staff told the board they would draft an extension letter and continue coordinating with MCOG, DPW and procurement offices so vendors can be paid if funds remain available.

Next steps: Guam EPA staff will (1) draft/issue an extension letter for the board’s administrative file as discussed, (2) follow up with MCOG on the status of the procurement protest and outstanding vendor invoices, and (3) schedule DPW for a formal operational-plan presentation so board members can review the $2 million request against statutory and invoice requirements.