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Despite austerity measures, DCCA programs safe
Despite the government-wide austerity measures implemented in July—which includes work hour and other expenditure cuts—the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has been able to keep all of its programs active, assured Secretary Robert Hunter.
In an interview with Saipan Tribune, Hunter said that DCCA has not needed to cancel any of its services or programs to date. However, the department has made significant cutbacks in vehicle use and other expenditures.
“We have some time prior to the austerity. Implementing strict controls on our utility costs and other expenditures were a priority,” Hunter said. Among the many cost-cutting measures at DCCA were reducing the amount of company cell phone use, controlling the use of electricity, and lessening the use of a number of vehicles after business hours, except for the Commonwealth Council of Arts as the group has functions that may happen after business hours such as the Thursday night street market at the Garapan Fishing Base.
Hunter said that they have a designated power marshal to assure that all electronics are powered off at the end of every business day.
“We continue to provide our regular services and activities and simply try to streamline costs as much as is possible,” he said.
Hunter said that it also has been a good thing that the measures were applied just months before the end of the current fiscal year.
DCCA has a total of 12 divisions serving the CNMI and they are Division of Youth Services, DCCA-Tinian, DCCA-Rota, CCAC, Child Care Development Fund, Nutritional Assistance Program, Child Care Licensing Program, Chamorro-Carolinian Language Policy Commission, Commonwealth Respite Service Program, Historic Preservation Office, Office on Aging, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres reduced the operation hours of offices under the Executive Branch starting last June 23, with agencies closing every payday Friday beginning last July 5 until further notice. Autonomous agencies like CUC, the Marianas Visitors Authority, and the Commonwealth Ports Authority can choose to follow or not the Torres administration’s austerity measures.
