Governor Lolo Moliga has seen it fit to establish an ASPA Assessment Task Force.
An August 13 memo from the governor says that ASPA has made known that revenues generated through the sale of electricity and water are being used to subsidize its other functions such as solid waste and waste water.
“While there have been questions on the appropriateness of this practice, the fact remains that ASPA has no other recourse unless financial subsidies are provided through the budget process to cover this shortfall,” said the governor.
Lolo stated, “While renewable energy based initiatives are being pursued it important and imperative that we continue to assess he cost of current systems to produce electricity and water along with the delivery of waste water and solid waste services to further reduce the cost of utilities being paid by our people, business and government.”
The governor has therefore established the Utility Task Force to recommend options for reducing the cost of basic utilities.
The Task Force is headed by Lt Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga and members are Lavata’i Reno, Wallon Young, William Spitzenburg and Danielle King of ASPA, Public Works Director Faleosina Voigt, Budget Director Catherine Saelua, Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a, Chief Procurement Officer Dr. Oerta Critchon, former Managing Director of ASPA and now member of the Governor’s Office Staff Paul Young and the governor’s executive assistant Iulogologo Joseph Pereira.
The establishment of the task force comes as water, solid waste and waste water fee increases for ASPA which were delayed from last year, appear in the latest ASPA monthly bills.
Earlier this week ASPA’s Acting Executive Director Wallon Young was questioned about why savings from the solar energy projects in Manu’a have not translated into reduced power bills for ASPA customers. It was Senator Magalei Logovii who posed the questions.
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