Government of Sint MaartenHousing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure
Mr. Patrice T. Gumbs· Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure
VROMI plans and manages Sint Maarten's public space — roads, drainage, housing, waste collection and the environment — to keep the island's living, working and recreational spaces safe, functional and sustainable.
Spending by cost category
- Cg 11M30%
- Cg 26M70%
Spending outlook
Capacity to deliver
Strategic objectives
- 01A resilient, robust and sustainable spatial development — resilient to extreme weather, well-organized and compact, with land allocation/pricing policy, a spatial-economic strategy and administrative enforcement.
- 02Improved infrastructure and an adequate supply of housing — sewerage/drainage expansion, erosion control, road paving, and a multi-year housing strategy with the Housing Development Foundation.
- 03Sustainable care for the environment and nature — responsible use of natural resources, renewable energy, sustainable solid-waste and wastewater management, and updated nature/waste ordinances.
- 04Improving the Ministry's service delivery and organizational performance — greater transparency, reliable service, trained inspectors, a work-procedures manual and a performance-indicator system.
Key programmes & projects
Clear, binding rules on building height, density and land use; a faster, improved permit-granting process based on the zoning plan.
Departments have sufficient staff to efficiently and competently process the increasing workload.
Service level agreement carried out according to proposal, strengthening capacity for nature protection.
Backlogs reduced, new issuance requests handled within statutory deadlines, and CRM for Domain realized.
A feasibility study covering required infrastructure, operational preconditions and a legal gap analysis with recommendations for law/regulation adjustments.
Results achieved according to the management agreement, improving access to affordable housing.
Indicators & targets
- Staffing occupancy of total establishmentTarget: Rise from 63% (92/146) toward ~75% if the budgeted vacancies are filled (18 per narrative; 17 in the table)
- Service Level Agreements for identified infrastructure interventions realizedTarget: 90% of SLAs realized
- Compliance with the agreements under the infrastructure SLAsTarget: 60% compliance realized
Key risks
- Structural staff shortage and absence of digital transformation: work piles up, processes stay slow and error-prone, and the community feels the consequences through delays in permits, infrastructure maintenance and environmental management (likelihood 4, impact 4).
- Service delivery and organizational performance (Objective 4): reduced trust among citizens and businesses, loss of transparency/accountability, staff demotivation and turnover, and lagging innovation/digital transformation (likelihood 4, impact 5).
- Spatial development (Objective 1): increased vulnerability to climate change, spatial fragmentation and inefficient use of space, hindrance to economic development, and loss of trust in governance (likelihood 3, impact 5).
- Infrastructure and housing (Objective 2): increasing safety risks, worsening flooding and environmental damage, hindered mobility, lagging housing supply and social tensions (likelihood 3, impact 5).