GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Friday approved House Local Bill 23-71, appropriating $18,000 in poker fee collections for the Tinian mayor’s discretionary account and the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission.
Authored by Rep. Patrick San Nicolas, H.L.B. 23-71 is now Tinian Local Law 23-21. It originally appropriated $10,000 for the gaming commission and $8,000 for the Office of the Tinian Mayor’s operations.
But on Dec. 27, 2024, Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan asked the Tinian and Aguigan Legislative Delegation to amend the bill and allocate $12,000 of the funds to the mayor’s discretionary account, to “enable our office to address outstanding obligations directly impacting on certain functions and operations of the municipality,”
The remaining $6,000 for TCGCC, he said, “will be crucial for their personnel expenses, as they are currently facing financial difficulties.”
Responding favorably to the mayor’s request, the delegation amended the local appropriation measure before passing it.
