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Rota finance director seeks promotions, staff and funding as customs and biosecurity report shortages
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Summary
Rota's resident Finance Director Avery Calvo asked senators for targeted promotions, additional treasury staff and funds for customs and biosecurity. Calvo warned staffing gaps at ports increase contraband and narcotics risk and said Finance operates with a minimal operational budget and constrained office space.
Rota Resident Director of Finance Avery Calvo told the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee that Finance and Customs/Biosecurity divisions need additional staff, promotions and operational resources to serve taxpayers and inspect arrivals at Rota's ports.
Calvo described multiple staffing and facility shortfalls: treasury has no dedicated staff in Rota's local treasury branch, customs and biosecurity face four vacancies (including a vacant Agriculture Inspector 3 post the director called critical), and the department lacks a secure, permanent office that meets confidentiality expectations for tax and revenue operations. "To me, if I was an investor or a business owner, that does not reflect stability for me," Calvo said when describing the department's temporary, wood‑frame workspace.
Why it matters: Finance and Customs/Biosecurity perform revenue collection, inspections and CIQ (customs/immigration/quarantine) functions; Calvo said insufficient staffing and equipment reduce capacity to inspect cargo and passengers, which in turn creates risk for contraband and narcotics entry.
Key points from Calvo's testimony and committee discussion: - Promotions and wage adjustments: Calvo said some promotions (for example, supply specialist 1 and a revenue enforcement officer) were approved, but managers and other long‑serving staff need WGI (wage grade increment) adjustments; she estimated fully funding certain WGIs would cost approximately $30,000. - Treasury staffing: the Rota treasury branch operates with little or no dedicated staff; Calvo seeks additional account clerk positions and a manager to run local treasury operations. - Customs & Biosecurity: Calvo said each port often operates with a single biosecurity or customs inspector and that inspectors routinely cover additional duties when staff take leave; she asked that vacant inspector positions not be zeroed out and requested funding for vehicles, overtime and personal protective equipment (bulletproof vests) for inspectors who are armed. - Overtime, CIQ and inter‑island operations: Calvo explained that overtime funding is necessary for inspectors when vessels and flights arrive outside regular hours; she noted that sometimes costs are covered informally by the mayor or municipal funds and urged a more consistent funding mechanism.
Direct quote: "The Department of Finance, we are so tight with our money. So tight to the point that in our budget request, you do not see any operational requests for office consumables. We do not ask for things like personal consumables. We really ask for the bare minimum of what these people need to do their jobs," Calvo said.
Calvo and senators discussed possible streams to support port operations, including customs revenue accounts and specific CIQ or user‑fee lines that could be retained for local use; the committee urged Calvo to coordinate with the Secretary of Finance, OMB and the delegation to identify available revolving funds and to supply a prioritized list of vacancies and operating requests for FY2026 reconciliation.
