THE Office of Public Accountability yesterday presented its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013, asking for a total of $1.375 million. OPA’s budget last fiscal year was only $1.260 million.
The increase in the amount being requested is for staff retirement and health benefits as well as equipment and personnel costs. Funds for travel expenses to various conferences are also in the new budget.
“Employees are our number one concern right now,” Public Auditor Doris Flores Brooks said.
The office is only three employees bigger in 10 years, Brooks added, with OPA currently having only 12 employees. Over the past year, the office lost four employees.
Although the office can function with the current number of employees, the issue is how effective the office could complete tasks, Brooks emphasized. OPA plans to get eight more employees.
To offset the increased budget request, OPA is requesting lapsed personnel funding to carry over into the new fiscal year.
An additional $10,000 in funds is also being requested for the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) conference to be hosted by Guam in September 2013.
“I was asked and I didn’t want us to look bad by saying no,” Brooks explained.
The OPA budget request includes $730,606 for salaries; $242,689, for health benefits; $57,244 for insurance benefits; and $13,000 for travel.
Contractual expenses require $180,500; rent is $102,594; $7,200 for supplies; $21,100 for equipment; miscellaneous expenses $13,600 ($10,00 for hosting the PASAI conference); and telephone cost is $7,000.
