By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

SENATORS were generally unhappy and exasperated with administration officials who attended yesterday’s roundtable meeting on GovGuam’s finances.
The roundtable meeting, presided over by Vice Speaker Eddie Calvo, R-Maite and head of the finance committee, focused on Gov. Felix P. Camacho’s budget and fiscal executive order 2007-02, which contains various measures to contain costs in the government of Guam.
Calvo expressed frustration that administration officials could not answer whether the new revenue enhancement and cost containment measures promulgated by the governor’s executive order would be included in the fiscal year 2008 budget.
Among those who attended the roundtable discussion were officials from the Department of Administration, the Department of Revenue and Taxation, the Guam Economic Development and Commerce Authority, and the Bureau of Budget and Management Research.
Calvo was particularly peeved at BBMR which, under the executive order, would handle all contracts, travel requests, personnel issues, and overtime requests.
Upon questioning, administration officials could not confirm whether the budget would contain the governor’s proposed new cost controls.
“The revenue enhancement and cost control measures would have a big effect on the budget, that’s why they must be incorporated into the budget so that our figures will be exact and clear,” Calvo said.
Speaker Mark Forbes, R-Sinajana, added that by definition, a budget should have all the administration’s deficit elimination measures because all these will affect the bottom line.
“All of these should be in the same document. The budget has a portion for miscellaneous provisions and the administration can include its revenue enhancement measures there,” Forbes said.
Sen. Ben Pangelinan, D-Barrigada, suggested that the governor’s deficit reduction plan be put as an addendum to the budget if the administration decides to go this route.
“The administration should also post its cash flow and cash requirements regularly on the Internet so that we will always know where the government stands with its finances,” Pangelinan said.
Toward the end of the meeting, Sen. Judith Guthertz, D-Mangilao, said she was disappointed by the lack of information provided by administration officials.
Guthertz, who used to teach public administration at the University of Guam, said she would come up with her own deficit elimination plan, which she will recommend for adoption by the governor.
Calvo has set another roundtable meeting on GovGuam’s finances for next week.