The short version
- El Vocero reported the audit covers March 2020 to June 2024 and includes five findings on payments, construction, purchases, contracting and donations
- Metro Puerto Rico reported improper payment of $4,515 for traffic ticket system services without a valid contract, plus $962,000 invested in facilities on central government land
- Both outlets reported works worth $172,080 completed without required permits and over $1.4 million in contracts signed without prior bonds
- Mayor María Vega Pagán told both outlets that many issues began under the prior administration and that her government has strengthened internal controls and followed all recommendations
Audit Findings
The Oficina de la Contralora de Puerto Rico published an audit on Wednesday identifying five findings in the administrative and fiscal operations of the municipality of Vega Alta. The review examined the period from March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2024. Metro Puerto Rico reported that findings include an improper payment of $4,515 for services related to a traffic ticket issuance system received in September and October 2021 without a written contract in force. A new contract was signed 39 days after services began.
Auditors also documented approximately $962,000 spent on construction and improvements to sports facilities on land owned by the central government, including the Carmelita park and court belonging to the Department of Housing and the Santa Ana court belonging to the Department of Recreation and Sports. Metro Puerto Rico reported that $755,177 came from municipal funds and $207,191 from insurance reimbursements. The audit states this prevents the municipality from recognizing the works as its own assets and creates a risk of loss.
Additional findings cited by both El Vocero and Metro Puerto Rico include $172,080 in works at the Nuevo Centro Dos Generaciones carried out without required permit amendments from the Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos, four construction contracts totaling $1,482,089 signed without prior delivery of required bonds, and a $2,500 payment for roof repairs at the Sabana Hoyos Community Center that had not been completed as stipulated. An inspection in January 2025 found ongoing leaks.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Plenamente reafirmo de manera categórica e inquebrantable nuestro compromiso con la transparencia fiscal, la integridad y la absoluta honestidad en el desempeño de las responsabilidades inherentes a la administración municipal
Our translation: I fully reaffirm in a categorical and unbreakable manner our commitment to fiscal transparency, integrity and absolute honesty in the performance of the responsibilities inherent to municipal administration
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Vocero. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Purchases and Donations
In the area of acquisitions, the audit found purchases made without required quotes, awards that did not go to the lowest bidder, and errors in bid evaluation that caused overpayments, including $960 extra for 1,000 school backpacks. Deficiencies were also noted in the documentation of micro-purchases. Metro Puerto Rico reported that auditors attributed several deficiencies to failures in supervision and noncompliance with procedures by municipal officials.
Regarding donations, the Comptroller identified grants to a nonprofit organization for a carnival totaling $35,000 awarded without sufficient documentation of prior expenditures and without a formal contract in one case. The audit recommends recovering improperly paid funds, verifying contracts before receiving services, obtaining permits before starting work, and requiring bonds before signing contracts.
Mayor's Response
Vega Alta Mayor María Vega Pagán responded in written statements to both outlets, stating that a substantial part of the findings corresponds to procedures initiated under the previous municipal administration before she took office in 2021. She said her administration has addressed the recommendations by strengthening internal controls, training personnel, modernizing purchasing processes and increasing administrative supervision.
The mayor told reporters she fully reaffirms "our commitment to fiscal transparency, integrity and absolute honesty" and that the municipality has adopted a corrective action plan. She added that it will continue implementing measures to correct the deficiencies identified by the Oficina de la Contralora de Puerto Rico.
Where the sources differ
Both El Vocero and Metro Puerto Rico agree on the five findings, the audit period of March 2020 to June 2024, the $962,238/$962,000 investment on non-municipal land, the $172,080 in unpermitted works, contracts over $1 million without timely bonds, and the mayor's response claiming many issues predated her administration. Metro Puerto Rico provides more dollar specifics such as the $4,515 improper payment, $1,482,089 in bondless contracts, $2,500 incomplete roof repair, $7,961 uniform purchase without quotes, $960 overpayment on backpacks, and $35,000 in donations, while El Vocero gives a broader summary and rounds some figures. Metro also details specific properties and inspection dates not mentioned by El Vocero.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state whether any funds have been recovered to date, whether the central government has made any claim on the invested properties, what action if any has been taken against specific officials, the total amount of all questioned expenditures, or a timeline for full implementation of the corrective measures. The mayor's statements do not address each finding individually.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Contralora detecta pagos indebidos y otras irregularidades en el municipio de Vega Alta
- Reporting Alcaldesa de Vega Alta responde a auditoría que señala pagos indebidos y obras sin permisos
- Reporting Contralora detecta pagos indebidos y otras irregularidades en el municipio de Vega Alta
How we checked this
El Vocero and Metro Puerto Rico both reported the Comptroller's five findings and the mayor's written response emphasizing corrective actions and prior-administration issues. Specific dollar amounts and property names rest primarily on the Metro Puerto Rico account while the exact quote from the mayor appears in both.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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