Guam – The Consolidated Commission on Utilities voted to roll back the raises received by several Guam Power Authority and Guam Waterworks Authority executive managers.
The Office of the Attorney General had questioned the legality of the raises. According to the OAG, the raises were in violation of the Open Government Law.
Attorney General Leevin Camacho said, ” Our office reviewed the minutes of the Nov. 27, 2018 CCU regular board meeting. According to the minutes, salary adjustments of executive management were discussed in executive session in violation of the Open Government Law.”
According to the AG, the Open Government Law prohibits discussion of salaries, or adjustments of any employees or officers. Instead, such discussions must be transparent and held in a public meeting.
During a meeting on Friday, May 11, the CCU decided to discuss the pay raise issue. Commissioner Michael Limtiaco filed the motion to return the executive salaries back to Nov. 27, 2018 levels.
The commissioners convened on Nov. 27 for a meeting during which the controversial pay raises were passed.
Request for legal clarity
In consultation with legal counsel, the commissioners also came up with a list of items that require clarification from the OAG.
First, the commissioners wanted to know whether pay raises given to the assistant general managers are valid since the general managers decide their pay raises, not the CCU.
Second, the commissioners also asked about granting access to the Nov. 27 closed door meeting minutes. The commissioners also wanted to know if the public would be allowed to look at the section of the minutes where the vote occurred. The other sections not related to the pay raise would be redacted.
And lastly, the commissioners wanted clarity on whether a waiver to release information can be honored.
