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‘Infrastructure bill for PSS, NMC not enough’
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Posted on Mar 25 2006
Providing funds for the construction of schools alone is insufficient—if it is not coupled with funding for operations, said Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Charles V. Cepeda, commenting on House Bill 15-51.
The bill, authored by Vice Speaker Justo Quitugua, aims to appropriate $500,000 plus 10-percent rebate reduction revenue for the infrastructure needs of Northern Marianas College and the Public School System.
“The chamber is asking the author to take a look at the funding because CIP funds would help the infrastructure project but where are we going to get the funds to run the facilities?” asked Cepeda, a newly confirmed member of NMC Board of Regents.
He expressed concerns that new constructions would only prove useless if no funding is available to operate the facilities.
“For instance, the Corrections or the prison project, it’s been built but there’s no fund to operate it. We feel that it’s going to be same thing with this proposed bill,” said Cepeda.
He said he wished that the House could have held a preliminary hearing to identify additional sources of funding for PSS and NMC.
The House passed last week H.B. 15-51, which aims to reduce the tax rebates to raise funds for infrastructure projects for PSS and NMC.
It guarantees an annual funding of $500,000 plus 10 percent of the revenue generated from the rebate reduction for the projects.
It would be used to cover PSS’ seven-year capital improvement plan—2005 through 2012—as well as NMC’s capital improvement plan for 2006-2013.
PSS said it needs 139 new classrooms and 31 replacement classrooms at a cost of $50 million.
NMC, meantime, needs funding for major renovations and additional infrastructure.
