All grant funded salaries will be exempted from the ten hour reduction for ASG employees effective today.
Governor Lolo Moliga announced this at an emergency meeting of directors of departments which are federally funded held last Friday in the Governor’s Office Conference Room.
It’s not known what brought on the change but two directors who attended the meeting said they are happy with the change of heart to not touch the salaries of grant funded personnel.
KHJ News understands that some of the federal grantors have raised questions about the cut back in hours when funds have already been approved for set salary amounts.
The grantors have also pointed out that the savings cannot be used for anything else.
Besides, if the money approved for salaries is not fully used, the grantor would take back the unexpended amount and would base the following year’s allocation for the local department or agency according to what it spent in the current year.
When Governor Lolo Moliga first announced the ASG reduction in hours in early April , Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua asked about grant funded salaries pointing out that the funds had already been approved and he feared that the feds would reduce their grants for the following year based on the cutbacks.
Director of the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency, Ameko Pato had also inquired about the possibility of exempting those at the bottom of the payscale and cutting the salaries of only those above.
But Governor Lolo responded that they should start with what had been decided, which is an across the board cut back in hours with the exception of doctors, nurses and teachers.
Later on contract employees were added to the exempted list.
One director who informed his staff about the governor’s decision to exempt employees who are paid by federal grants from the reduction in hours , asked that his staff not tell the media about the change.
