Puerto Rico sets early rules for 2027 budget planning
Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget Director Orlando Rivera said preparations for the island’s fiscal 2027 budget are already underway, following the Financial Oversight and Management Board’s certification of the 2026 budget.
Rivera said the early start reflects lessons learned from the previous cycle.
“On Sept. 5, we held the first meeting with the FOMB team. Starting now and doing it together ensures that when OMB meets with agencies in December and January to review requests, the process aligns with the board’s own evaluation,” he said during his weekly briefing at the governor’s office and residence, La Fortaleza.
Calling the initiative a “historic collaborative effort,” Rivera said that for the first time since the oversight board was established, the OMB will formally lead development of the consolidated budget. The process will include fiscal, technical and strategic coordination to ensure compliance with the certified fiscal plan and maintain a government “focused on fiscal responsibility and the well-being of the population.”
The joint planning framework sets budget rules, preliminary goals and an initial cap on operational expenses that agencies must follow when preparing their requests.
Rivera said the approach also incorporates new data analysis tools, such as the Data Intelligence System, designed to strengthen fiscal discipline and ensure resources are directed efficiently to serve citizens.
“Our mission is to honor the programmatic commitments of the government of Puerto Rico,” Rivera said.
Alongside the budget announcement, Rivera reported the disbursement of $4.1 million in retroactive salary increases for 484 employees of the Medical Emergency Bureau, part of the Department of Public Safety.
The raises — averaging $500 per month — were granted under the government’s Central Classification Plan and framed as part of Gov. Jenniffer González’s pledge to “bring justice to public workers.”
Rivera said the measure has the support of the oversight board, which endorsed it in a March 30, 2025 determination, and the Office of Human Resources Management and Transformation, which issued Special Memorandum No. 1-2025.
“These transactions are essential to guarantee legal and fiscal compliance,” he said, noting that the increases will carry a recurring financial impact of more than $1.3 million for fiscal 2025 and $2.7 million for fiscal 2026.
