HAGÅTÑA — The payroll costs at the Port Authority of Guam is skyrocketing and Vice Speaker Benjamin J.F. Cruz is questioning the rationale for new hiring, promotions and a proposal to create new assistant manager positions at the port authority.
According to Cruz, all of these may collectively result in more than $1.2 million in yearly additional costs.
Cruz’s concerns were raised in a letter sent to Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo.
“In reviewing the PAG’s approved personnel actions and its behavior since January 2011, it seems the PAG has become a dumping ground for political hires on the backs of Guam’s consumers,” Cruz wrote.
Cruz estimates that since January 2011, the PAG has hired new employees and either promoted or reclassified existing ones to the tune of about $983,500 annually. The information was obtained by examining personnel actions received through a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the port’s management.
Cruz also learned that the port’s board is now considering the creation of two new administrative positions — an assistant operations manager and an assistant maintenance manager. The annual salaries for those positions may be up to $85,586 and $83,069.
