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ASPA: Treasury pays streetlight installation on public roads

Rendering of proposed new Fono Building
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Power Authority’s fiscal year 2019 budget hearing last week revealed that the ASG Treasury Department pays for costs of installing street lights on the main road.

The revelation surfaced when Rep. Fialupe Felila Fiaui Lutu told ASPA witnesses that she had contacted ASPA to install street lights on the road but was told to contact the ASG Treasury which responded to her saying, there’s no money for such purpose.

Lutu asked for an explanation.

ASPA customer service manager, Ryan Tuato’o first noted that there is no funding allocation in ASPA’s budget to install street lights for the government, and these are street lights along public highways.

He said if there is a request by lawmakers for street lights on public roads in villages, that goes directly to the government, adding that the agreement with Treasury is that if a lawmaker wants a street light in their village - it requires Treasury approval for the amount to install the street lights.

And if Treasury has no money, there’s nothing ASPA can do because it’s the government that provides funds for such jobs, said Tuato’o, noting that for individual families requesting street lights on their property, the family pays the costs for the street light and the electric pole - if there is no existing pole.