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Fitial signs first Tinian budget in six years
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Posted on Jan 18 2012
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial signed late yesterday afternoon Tinian’s municipal budget of $3 million for fiscal year 2012, six years after the island last passed a budget in fiscal year 2006.
“The Tinian leadership has accomplished what it set out to do—pass a budget for the municipality. This budget sets aside $160,000 in retroactive pay for over 100 government employees,” Senate Vice President Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) told Saipan Tribune.
Hofschneider, chair of the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation, thanked the governor for signing the local budget bill into law. He also lauded Tinian Mayor Ramon Dela Cruz, the Tinian Municipal Council and the delegation for working together to pass a budget.
Hofschneider, Dela Cruz, Sen. Frank Cruz (R-Tinian), Sen. Henry San Nicolas (Cov-Tinian), and Tinian Municipal Council Joseph Cruz witnessed the governor’s signing of the local budget law on Capital Hill.
The Senate vice president also noted that the governor himself wants to ensure that the $160,000 for retroactive pay will be set aside, and this could be in a form of a directive.
The delegation originally set aside only $80,000 for the retroactive pay but doubled the amount later after days and nights of going over the budget bill.
Dela Cruz was only projecting $2.3 million to $2.5 million in revenue from the casino industry for fiscal year 2012, considering that the actual collection in 2011 was only less than $2 million.
The budget bill’s total estimated revenue for fiscal year 2012 is $3,026,250.
Of this amount, $2.5 million comes from casino tax revenue, $500,000 from Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino’s casino license fee, $20,250 from device fees, and $6,000 from employee fees.
The bill gives $527,000 to seven special programs, including $200,000 for the Tinian Municipal Scholarship, $160,000 for retroactive pay, $70,000 for the Tinian Medical Assistance Program, $50,000 for educational programs, $22,000 for community programs and $5,000 for senior citizens program.
This appropriations bill covers personnel and operations cost of the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission, Tinian Municipal Treasurer, the Office of the Mayor of Tinian and Aguiguan, and the Tinian Municipal Council.
