“It should be noted that the Northern Islands have been neglected for the longest time but the governor is very cooperative in trying to address these issues,” he told Variety.
The islands have an estimated eight or so residents. Most of its former inhabitants now live on Saipan.
The House Committee on Ways and Means proposed a $239,565 budget for the Northern Islands Mayor’s Office with 11 full-time employees.
Jerome Aldan, the mayor’s executive secretary, said the mayor’s office is willing to live within its means and adjust so it can “survive.”
There are a lot of programs the mayor’s office wants to implement, he said, and one of them is to bring the former residents back to their islands.
The mayor’s office, he said, was not able to submit its proposed budget to the Office of the Budget and Management.
The deadline for submission was March 1 but the Northern Islands conducted a special mayoral election on March 27.
Mayor Aldan said the proposed budget presented by the Legislature only gives them 11 FTEs.
He said his office is supposed to have 16 FTEs.
