Deep cost-cutting for Saipan mayor’s office

Currently beset with huge budget deficit, the Office of the Mayor of Saipan would be forced to further pare down its operations and move out of its present office in a bid to avoid overspending beyond its proposed appropriations for Fiscal Year 2000, according to officials.

These drastic measures would enable them to live with the $2.04 million budget set aside by the Tenorio administration, nearly 92 percent of which have been allotted for personnel costs.

But legislators grilled the mayor during the budget hearing by the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, questioning his decision to raise the salary of one employee by almost $10,000 while slashing an average of five percent from the wages of 65 others.

House Majority Floor Leader Ana S. Teregeyo said this move would create serious morale problem in the municipal government when 17 other positions have been left vacant to scrimp on the available resources.

She recommended that the salary of Safety Enforcer Joaquin S. Aguon, whose position is ungraded, should similarly reflect reduction to maximize its meager share of the budget. “This is as fair as we could go,” she added.

Under the budget proposal submitted by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, Aguon’s salary for the next fiscal year would be hiked to $28,000 from $18,900 under the FY 1999 pay level.

Mayor Jose C. Sablan justified the salary increase for Aguon, a retired police officer, saying his duties would entail coordination with the Department of Public Safety and the Public School System to implement a new program utilizing inmates to do community services.

But Teregeyo urged the mayor to defer pay increases at this time when government revenues have dropped dramatically over the past two years and other more vital agencies are in dire need of additional funds to meet the critical needs of the Commonwealth.

Sablan said he has abolished six highly-paid administrative positions and replaced them with community service workers to trim personnel costs, as well as meet funding requirement for the planned hiring of heavy equipment operators to open up inaccessible roads on Saipan.

The municipal government also eliminated the position of Stray Animal Control Supervisor Canice K. Taitano to boost its cash resources.

The mayor outlined at least six areas that would need additional funding for FY 2000, namely personnel, contingency, office rental, supplies, fuel and lubricant as well as heavy equipment.

Aware of the small budget to pay its lease of the current office in Afetna Square in San Antonio, the Ways and Means Committee agreed to consider its request for additional appropriation.

The Saipan Mayor’s office rents the space for $90,000 annually, but the administration chopped the amount to $30,000 for the entire year.

Sablan told legislators he had asked the governor to transfer the office to the old court house in Susupe in efforts to save money for the government, but the request was rejected as the complex would be used by the family court.

“We could cut the (the present) space by half and make do with what we have as far as rental budget is concerned,” he said, adding they are also trying to get public lands for their temporary office.