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Apatang asks lawmakers for $100K to clean Saipan
Saipan Mayor David Apatang stood before the House of Representatives on Friday to ask lawmakers to support a bill allocating $100,000 to clean the island.
Apatang
The mayor made the plea during a House session, saying he is mandated to clean Saipan, and that the $100,000 “is necessary.”
Apatang said some of the equipment for solid waste management are “down” and “needs a lot of repairs.” The municipal government’s two backhoes also need drivers, which will be trained for weeks, the mayor said.
“I promised to clean the island, and that is what I will do,” Apatang said, adding that the task “is very hard” unless his office gets the funds it needs.
Aside from the funding, the mayor also asked for more personnel.
He said the Saipan Mayor’s Office currently has 38 office workers and 10 more doing fieldwork. Apatang said he needs 10 more to complement his team.
However, the budget request may face delay.
Rep. Ralph Yumul (Ind-Saipan) introduced House Bill 19-30, which seeks “to appropriate the sum of $100,000 from the Solid Waste Management Revolving Account for the Third Senatorial District to fund the expense of removing junk at the Koblerville Field, Kagman, Lower Base, and various other villages.”
H.B. 19-30 was one of the bills introduced at a House session on Friday.
Yumul wanted lawmakers to calendar H.B. 19-30 for action, in the hopes of expediting the proposed budget, but lawmakers decided to forward it to the House Committee on Ways and Means for further review. Lawmakers voted 11-7 in favor of further review.
