THAT was the question posed by the U.S. attorney electronically present at the March 8 Ordot consent decree hearing. During that hearing COLA, EITC and other relatively narrow community issues came under heavy fire from federal Judge Manibusan. He made it abundantly clear that he is extremely displeased with the way GovGuam handles its funding priorities. He specifically addressed the government’s ability to identify a funding source for COLA, while ignoring the Ordot environmental disaster.
It’s reasonable to assume, as a result of that hearing, that GovGuam funding priority policies and practices may soon undergo radical change, voluntarily or involuntarily.
Of course, this is just what the administration and the legislature have been waiting and hoping for: an opportunity to place the blame for their fiscal mismanagement on federal intervention.
What’s actually likely to happen with the Ordot mess? Federal judge Tydingco-Gatewood will most likely order that the DPW solid waste division be dissolved and reconstituted as a public corporation under oversight and supervision of the Public Utilities Commission, in accordance with recommendations from the U.S. Attorney and the PUC. That would set in motion a process that includes the issue of revenue bonds to fund the construction of a new landfill at Dandan and closure of Ordot.
GovGuam will probably also be ordered to begin condemnation proceedings to acquire the Dandan properties, for which Assistant Attorney General Kennedy says funds are currently available.
The public corporation would also assume billing and collection responsibilities for residential and commercial solid waste, so expect to see tighter controls, vastly more responsive service and significantly elevated tipping fees. Is this a good or bad thing? I suppose that depends on how close you live to the Ordot dump.

DAVE DAVIS
Yigo, Guam