DPS lobbies for more funds

With limited funds to efficiently operate this fiscal year, the Department of Public Safety lobbied last Friday for additional appropriation with the House Ways and Means Committee just to make sure that there is enough gasoline to keep the patrol cars running on the island.

The department’s lobbying efforts apparently paid off as House Floor Leader Oscar Babauta said the Legislature will not allow the operation of a critical agency like DPS to suffer.

Mr. Babauta said the department’s budget for FY 2000 is over $800,000 from the previous fiscal year of $12.4 million. He said the Legislature will give Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio enough flexibility when it passes the budget for FY 2000 before the end of the month so that he can respond to the needs of various government agencies without jeopardizing their services.

“While we try to respond to the needs of these government agencies, we want to emphasize the importance of prudent fiscal management during this trying times,” he said.

The House leadership, according to Mr. Babauta, is committed to help the administration’s economic revitalization efforts by passing legislation that will make it an attractive investment site.

The $13 million budget of DPS for FY 2000 is $1.5 million short of the original amount it submitted to the Office of Management and Budget.

At least 89 percent of the $13 million budget for FY 2000 will go to salaries of personnel while the remaining 11 percent will go to operations.

The Office of the Governor has projected a $207 million revenue collections for FY 2000 while an additional $4.16 million would come from public land fees — funds exclusively used for the operation of the Division of Public Lands.

When he assumed the post, DPS Commissioner Charles W. Ingram started cutting down on the bloated bureaucracy by removing the post of one deputy commissioner and director of administration.

The department recently has 45 additional policemen under the federally–funded program Community Oriented Policing Services. Of this, 25 policemen have been assigned in Saipan and 10 each in Rota and Tinian.

DPS is also planning to acquire more patrol cars for the villages of Saipan, Tinian and Rota with the increase in burglary incidents in the CNMI. Currently, patrol cars are running 13 to 16 hours rotation which takes a toll on the vehicles. Without proper maintenance and supplies to cover the wear and tear, DPS will have lesser vehicles on the street and more in the junk yard.

Maintenance of patrol cars alone costs $50,000 a year. The leases for patrol cars expired in December 1999.