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Guam EPA says it is operating at less than half staffing; inspections and grants lag
Summary
Acting Administrator Glenn Smith told the board the agency has 53 full-time employees and is operating at less than 50% staffing in some programs, creating delays in inspections and jeopardizing grant objectives; the board discussed salary studies and recruitment strategies.
Acting Administrator Glenn Smith told the Guam Environmental Protection Agency board on March 19 that the agency has 53 full-time employees on its books and is struggling to fill key technical positions.
"We are operating less than 50%. I mean really we are like some programs are one," Smith said, arguing that vacancies among engineers and environmental specialists are causing inspection backlogs and harming grant delivery.
Smith described active recruitments for an environmental technician and an environmental specialist (water) and said the agency has requested two engineer positions under a grant to help with permitting, design review and inspections tied to disaster recovery work. He said the agency and the governor have discussed a salary study to make positions more competitive with federal and private-sector employers.
Board members noted competition from Department of Defense and other jurisdictions and urged the study to include regional comparisons. Smith and members discussed that some fee schedules have not been updated since 1998 and that a combination of CPI and regional salary comparisons should inform future compensation and fee decisions.
The board did not adopt specific salary changes at the meeting; members directed staff to pursue recruitment and said they expect a salary-study plan and further updates on how additional positions will be funded and onboarded.
