VITEMA Seeks $5.94 million; Director warns federal grant rules could cut staff funding

Daryl Jashin, director of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), presented VITEMA’s proposed fiscal‑year 2026 budget to the Legislature’s Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance on June 24 and highlighted operational needs for emergency communications, grants management and hazard mitigation projects.

Jashin said VITEMA’s general‑fund request for FY2026 is $5,940,457. He told the committee that personnel services account for $3,279,113 (about 55% of the total), with projected fringe benefits of $1,610,108. He said the agency’s federal grants portfolio supplements territorial funds and supports additional staff and projects.

“VITEMA’s mission is to save lives and to protect property through preparedness, exercises, prevention and mitigation,” Jashin told senators. “Our daily operations include two 9‑1‑1 emergency communication centers, three emergency operations centers, and a territorial fusion center.”

Federal grants and risk: Jashin and the VITEMA grants manager told senators the agency expects to administer roughly $4.32 million in federal grants in FY2026, a decline from FY2025 levels. Jashin warned that anticipated federal changes — particularly at FEMA — could reduce or eliminate the ability to fund personnel through grants and said that would affect an estimated 16.3 positions (about $1.38 million in personnel costs) now paid from federal sources.

“From a payroll perspective, this represents approximately $53,201 every pay period,” Jashin told the committee, emphasizing that sudden federal rule changes would force territory leaders to absorb costs or reduce services. Grants staff said FEMA has not yet released FY2025 notifications of funding opportunity and that the landscape is changing nationally.

Operations highlights and short‑term challenges: VITEMA described improvements and current projects, including: launch of text‑to‑9‑1‑1 capability; work on tsunami‑sirens and microgrids for emergency power at critical facilities; maintenance of emergency generators and light units; and a multi‑year wind retrofit design for the Hermann Hill EOC. The agency also described an upcoming procurement to repair the St. Thomas EOC roof under FEMA public‑assistance funding.

The committee questioned why some federal grants appeared slow to produce spending. Grants staff said timing and federal planning milestones — including project planning, environmental and historic preservation reviews and subrecipient readiness — can delay drawdowns. Jashin said he was pushing to finalize design phases for FEMA‑funded projects to avoid cancellation.

Senators and VITEMA leaders discussed 9‑1‑1 operations and the cost of a proposed five‑year maintenance contract for the CAD/RMS dispatch system. The new contract would include an initial hardware/upgrade payment (about $578,908.61 for year one and $209,241.14 annually thereafter). VITEMA said its emergency services fund (the $2 wireless surcharge fund for 9‑1‑1) might be used for part of the maintenance if other payment sources are not identified.

What’s next: VITEMA said it will provide requested follow‑up documents to the committee. Jashin asked legislators to monitor federal grant policy changes closely and to be prepared to consider territorial support if federal personnel funding is cut.