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$800K Saipan land compensation could hit snag
Over 200 Saipan families whose private properties were taken by the government for roads and other public uses may have to wait a little longer to receive a total of $800,000 in land compensation payments because of questions about the law itself.
Public Lands Secretary Pete A. Tenorio said yesterday there is “no firm” date yet as to when the payments will be made “as there are questions about the public law.”
House Local Bill 18-45, Draft 1 became Saipan Local Law 18-19 without the governor’s signature on July 19.
Within 60 days of the bill becoming local law, the land payments have to be made. That would be around Sept. 19, a little over two weeks from today.
Gov. Eloy S. Inos has long been considering going the route of a certified question to get legal guidelines for pending judgments or obligations such as land compensation. But as of yesterday, that certified question has yet to be submitted as of yesterday.
The $800,000 comes from the Managaha landing fees that are in the Department of Public Lands custody.
There are questions, however, whether these Managaha landing fees are to be considered “land leases” or “fees,” and whether they could indeed be used to pay for land compensations.
Under the $800,000 land compensation payment local law, at least 223 Saipan landowners will get anywhere from 89 cents to over $190,000 based on DPL data.
Rep. Anthony Benavente (Ind-Saipan), author of the land compensation bill, plans to introduce another bill appropriating some $2 million in remaining Managaha landing fees also to pay Saipan landowners whose properties were taken by the government for public use.
