NIMO wants original FY01 budget restored

Northern Islands Mayor Joseph Ogumoro has prodded the Senate to restore its original NIMO Fiscal Year 2001 budget, saying the proposed amount approved by the lower house is inadequate and will surely jeopardize the agency’s efforts to implement development projects.

Mr. Ogumoro said the House’s version of NIMO’s FY 2001 budget is less by over $200,000 than its original request and is also less than the office’s FY 1999 budget by close to $70,000.

“This budget is an insult to the people of the Northern Islands and will cause a major setback in NIMO’s ability to push through with its development project,” said the mayor.

The Legislature has approved $16,125 for NIMO’s quarterly operations which totals its year-long budget to $48,375.

Mr. Ogumoro said the proposed budget is insufficient, noting that one chartered trip to the Northern Islands alone costs $15,000 to $20,000.

“So just one charter wipes out the entire office’s operations budget,” he said.

In a letter to Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee Chair Edward Maratita, the mayor appealed to committee members to restore NIMO’s initial budget request to fulfill its immediate development plans.

He said the Legislature should consider the Northern Islands Municipality as a special jurisdiction and must exercise extra care and due consideration in its distribution of CNMI’s limited fiscal resources.

He further cited that NIMO’s submitted funding request is even conservative in light of continuing financial austerity conditions in the government.

Mr. Ogumoro underscored serious funding deficiency could impede his office’s economic development missions for the islands of Anatahan, Alamagan, Pagan, and Agrigan.

“Our efforts to successfully implement the development plan may be in serious jeopardy if the Senate proceeds with the NIMO FY 2001 budget at the level appropriated by the House,” he reiterated.

The mayor raised anew the issue on the Northern Islands residents’ lack of its very own representation in the Legislature.

Since the establishment of the Commonwealth, Mr. Ogumoro pointed out that the political arrangement has not proven very beneficial to residents of the remote islands.

“If you look at politics in reference to allocation of resources, and if you look at the representation arrangement — with all due respect to present and previous legislators because everyone have them have tried their very best to help — Northern Islands residents are not fairly represented,” said the mayor.

Northern Islanders have to rely on representations of Saipan senators and Precinct III representatives, he pointed out.

The prevailing set-up, he added, is like asking Saipan senators and Precinct I representatives to represent Rota and Tinian in the legislative body.

“I think it is the proper time to recognize that this arrangement has not worked out for us. Our perennial pleas have not been successful and we watch for the last 22 years the millions of dollars in Capital Improvement Project funds come into the CNMI with nothing allocated to the Northern Islands,” Mr. Ogumoro explained.