The Cayman Islands Government has moved millions of dollars between different parts of the budget to pay for urgent projects.
The shifted funds supported projects including community parks, fixing a fire station, and helping struggling families, ministers told the Parliament of the Cayman Islands.
Deputy Premier Gary Rutty, who serves as minister for tourism and trade development, explained that the government needed more money to build Central Scranton Park.
He told members the appropriation for the park was increased by CI$2 million in order to help pay for construction work.
This included the building of entrances and landscaping, a community centre, a multipurpose court, a bathroom block, fencing road, roadways and a parking lot.
To get this $2 million, the government took money from other tourism projects.
Rutty said it was offset by a decrease in the Waterfront Tourism Experience by $1 million and a decrease in sports and cultural tourism programmes assistance by $1 million.
Safe spaces
Isaac Rankine, minister for youth, sports, culture and heritage, also got money approved to build Captain George Dixon Park in East End.
He explained that the facility will provide a district-based space aimed at encouraging participation in sporting, recreational and social activities.
It will also provide a safe space for community interaction across all ages and promote mental, physical, and emotional wellness, he said.
Planning minister Jay Ebanks had to move money around three times to buy land and fix roads, parliament heard. The amounts were $800,000, another $800,000, and $125,000.
The first $800,000 went to his ministry to pay back people whose land the National Roads Authority took to build roads.
The second $800,000 was for affordable housing lots in the eastern districts.
The $125,000 was to buy a piece of land near a cemetery valued at $200,000.
Families in need
Rankine, who is also the minister for social development, had to ask for more money to help poor families and children in government care.
The biggest amount was $6 million for welfare payments, because, Rankine said, the original allocation was estimated by the Department to be insufficient from the onset.
He explained that reductions were accepted to conform to overall budgetary constraints at the time.
Without this extra money, Rankine warned it would cause “disruption of essential services to at-risk clients of the Department of Financial Assistance” – meaning poor families might not get help.
The government also decided to give people on long-term welfare an extra $250 per month.
Rankine said this was to affect the policy directive given to the Department of Financial Assistance for all those in receipt of long-term financial assistance.
This cost the government an extra $2,978,250 for welfare payments and $2,370,500 for veterans’ benefits.
The government also needed $500,000 more to look after children in foster care because costs went up.
Rankine explained that children and family services support was depleted sooner than anticipated due to the increased cost of rent and services.
Additionally, in 2024, foster parent stipends were increased to match inflation, helping families cope with the high cost of living and ensuring a better standard of care for children.
Fixing the fire station
Nickolas DaCosta, minister for district administration and home affairs, supported spending $1.4 million to fix the old fire station on Cayman Brac.
He told parliament the approved increase was earmarked for much needed capital upgrades.
DaCosta explained the building was falling apart after “decades and decades of wear and tear have left portions of the station’s infrastructure in a state of disrepair”.
The money will be directed specifically towards improvements to the bay extension, the servicing building, and renovations to the living quarters for the male and female officers.
Even though this project started before DaCosta became minister, he promised to finish it properly.
He said: “Where good work has begun, especially when it supports our emergency services and infrastructure resilience, I will see it through responsibly and transparently.”
Emergency rules
All these budget changes had to be approved by Cabinet under special emergency rules.
This happens when the government suddenly needs money for urgent things that were not planned when the original budget was written.
The ministers said these changes did not cause any non-compliance with the principles of responsible financial management – meaning they followed proper rules for spending taxpayers’ money.
