Babauta OKs $5.2M for Saipan

Gov. Juan N. Babauta approved a bill yesterday appropriating a total of $5.2 million for Saipan, including $1 million for the CNMI Water Task Force.

In signing House Local Bill 14-08, Babauta said the funds—as identified by the Saipan legislative delegation—would be sourced from local poker and pachinko revenues.

Babauta, in his transmittal letter to the delegation, said that $1 million of the funding would be prioritized for the task force to ensure a 24-hour pressurized water supply on Saipan by next year.

“The additional funding provided by this measure is critical to the ultimate success of the task force and the attainment of its goal,” he said.

The remaining amount—$4.2 million—will go to 10 other projects but “subject to the availability of the funds.” These projects include:

• the Garapan Fishing Base public market ($500,000);

• Precinct I road paving and survey cost ($800,000);

• San Antonio Elementary School walkway ($50,000);

• paving of Dandan kindergarten parking lot ($50,000);

• local scholarship account ($1.2 million);

• equipment rental payment ($200,000);

• payment for Hawaiian Rock prior year account ($72,651.27);

• Saipan Municipal Council operations ($80,000);

• Precinct III emergency road paving, drainage and survey cost—Falipe and Chalan Kiya ($1 million); and

• road paving projects and repairs to William S. Reyes Elementary School and related facilities in Precinct II ($200,000) as pushed by Reps. Joseph Deleon Guerrero and Benjamin Seman.

The bill was introduced by Reps. Arnold Palacios and Ramon Tebuteb.

In his letter, the governor said that many other capital improvement projects are also important “but difficult choices, however, must be made and some projects will have to wait until such time [that] funds are made available.”

Babauta also asked the Saipan and Northern Islands delegation “to refrain” for now from appropriating any more funds from Saipan Local Law 11-2 or the poker and pachinko machines, “until all prior financial obligations funded by this law are fully paid.”

The water task force, which originally asked for $2 million, welcomed the $1 million allocation.

“It will be very important for our operations,” said task force chair Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente.

He remained confident that a 24-hour water supply is possible by end of 2005.