In the midst of the Sinbad Soul Music Festival and the long Memorial Day weekend, the Turnbull administration took time to take care of business, "sending down" to the Legislature the governor's proposed fiscal year 1999-2000 budget on Saturday, a day ahead of the May 30 deadline. In the end, the documents had to be "sent out."
There was no one at the Legislature Building on St. Thomas authorized to receive the documents Saturday morning; so, on telephone instructions from Senate President Vargrave Richards, the budget documents were delivered to him at his room in Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
Gov. Charles Turnbull told WVWI/Radio One on Monday that he had no illusions about the proposal -— which includes a 6 percent across-the-board pay cut for government employees -— being accepted on its face by the senators. "If they can improve it," he said, "I would be the happiest man in the world."
Senate Finance Committee chair Lorraine Berry reportedly had expected to receive the budget Saturday and to get the Post Audit Division to work analyzing it over the weekend. But she had not received it by Sunday night, when she headed to Lionel E. Roberts Stadium for the final Soul Music Festival concert.
By law, the Legislature has until Sept. 30, the last day of the current fiscal year, to approve its versions of the budget and send it back to the governor for signature.