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Saipan Mayor earmarks $200-K for machine shop
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Posted on May 18 2000
The Saipan local government has earmarked some $200,000 from its Fiscal Year 2000 supplemental budget for the purchase of a fabrication facility in Lower Base, Mayor Jose C. Sablan disclosed yesterday.
Mr. Sablan said the fabrication facility, which was purchased from Senator Ramon S. Guerrero, will be used as the maintenance hub of the local government’s equipment that includes dump trucks.
He said the facility is equipped with a generator which should be of important use in the local government’s efforts to keep its equipment in good condition.
The mayor added that a request for payment for the fabrication facility was already submitted and is now under process by the Department of Finance.
The money which will be used to pay the facility was taken from the $600,000 supplemental funding received by the Saipan Mayor’s Office, from the Legislature.
The decision of the Saipan Mayor’s Office to allocate portion of its supplemental budget to the procurement of the facility from Mr. Guerrero was met with claims that the reason was not cited in its request for additional funds.
Observers said Mr. Sablan mentioned nothing about plans to buy the fabrication facility in his office’s request for additional funds in its FY-2000 budget allocation.
But the mayor contends that the purchase of the machine shop, which will be transformed into an equipment maintenance facility by the local government, had been finalized since six weeks ago.
He added that request for payment has already been forwarded to the finance department, and that his office expects the check to be released soon.
Mr. Sablan also said the Saipan Mayor’s Office held its own celebration of the civil service week at the new facility in Lower Base last Friday, brushing off allegations that he allowed government employees to hold drinking spree during working hours.
