By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE Tinian legislative delegation wants the island’s municipality exempted from the implementation of the cash-strapped government’s proposed workforce reduction.
Yesterday, Tinian Mayor Jose P. San Nicolas sent a memorandum to all delegation members requesting an emergency meeting about the proposed cost-cutting measure.
Sen. Henry San Nicolas, Covenant-Tinian and chairman of the delegation, said he is planning to schedule an emergency meeting for Friday, May 11, 10 a.m., at the mayor’s office.
“The mayor wants to meet with the delegation to present his concerns on the reduction in workforce proposal that the governor has initiated through the Office of Personnel and Management,” the senator said yesterday.
He said it is the intention of the Tinian mayor to explain that his office, since last year, has instituted internal austerity measures as a way of saving money.
Sen. San Nicolas said some of these measures were turning of the streetlights, the enforcing one-hour work reductions for municipal staff prior to the implementation of the austerity holidays, and the cancelling some cellular phone accounts.
“The mayor implemented (these measures) last year to help save money for the CNMI government. So if we’re going to talk about pitching in and trying to help the government, the Tinian municipality has already done its part,” Sen. San Nicolas said.
He said in anticipation of new casinos, new investors and more flights to the island, “it seems that reducing the workforce is like trying to making the positive and negative work together which cannot be done.”
Instead of reducing its workforce, the municipality may consider increasing it in preparation for the construction of new facilities and the military buildup on Guam that will impact Tinian.
“The mayor’s point is why are we going to reduce our workforce on Tinian when we are saying that we are expecting more casinos to come in. When they do come in and construction starts in September — we will need additional manpower like quarantine and immigration inspectors for these new flights,” he said.
The senator said the mayor, after meeting with the delegation, “may ask us to talk to the governor and have him look at the concept in a broader scenario for Tinian.”
The municipality has 263 employees paid using the general fund and about 70 paid using local funds.
Sen. San Nicolas said based on the documents provided by the mayor’s office, the municipality generated savings of $177,000 from February to September 2006.
“The savings came from the cut in operational expenses, in office rentals and monetary assistance provided to some departments,” the senator said.