7 News Belize

PUC By The Numbing Numbers
posted (February 5, 2018)
Last week, we showed you the comments of John Avery, the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, when he answered to allegations that there was reckless spending at the PUC and over-payment of the 6 members of the PUC Board.

Well, to strengthen his arguments, he released the final audited statements ending in March of 2017.

On the Balance sheet, under the line item, current assets, it says that the PUC had just under 1.25 million dollars in the bank at the end of March 2016. By March 2017, that decreased by about a quarter million.

In 2017, The PUC collected 4.87 million dollars in fees from the Public Utility Providers, meaning BWSL, BTL and BEL. That was an increase 1.725 million dollars over the previous year. Their total revenues increased from 4.068 million dollars to 5.25 million dollars, or almost 1.44 million dollars more.

The PUC also spent more in the last financial year, as compared to the previous year, however. They spend almost 4.85 million dollars in 2016, but 6.694 million dollars in 2017. Those expenses increased just under 1.85 million dollars.

In the PUC's General and Administrative Expenses, it says that the utilities regulator paid almost 1.6 million dollars more to the Government of Belize last year. In 2016, it paid, just over 235 thousand dollars, but in 2017, the PUC paid 1.904 million dollars.

They also over spent 229 thousand dollars more in professional fees last year, than in 2016.

The Auditor says that in 2017, the 6 Commissioners of the board, were paid a total of $257,050 over the entire year of 2017, with each of them getting $1,250 for each of the meetings they attended over the course of that financial year.

For 2017, Chairman John Avery was paid a total of just under $159 thousand dollars. You'll remember him saying that this was the total amount for his salary, benefits, and his compensation for meetings combined.

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