IN separate citizen-centric reports submitted to the CNMI Legislature for Fiscal Year 2022, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said his office spent $321,237, while outgoing Gov. Ralph DLG Torres spent $1,023,231 for personnel and operations.
Last fiscal year, Palacios spent $370,865 for personnel and operations, while Torres spent $1,112,619. Unlike the previous fiscal year, Torres does not detail costs of utilities in his FY 2022 citizen-centric report, while Palacios omits that information altogether in both fiscal year reports.
According to Torres’s FY 2022 report, the Office of the Governor spent the same amount this year as it did last year, while Administrative Services spent $89,388 less than the previous fiscal year. There are 19 Office of the Governor personnel and 12 Administrative Services personnel, two less than the previous fiscal year.
Broken down into two parts, Office of the Governor and Administrative Services, Torres’ report shows that $402,338 was spent on personnel and $212,762 spent on operations for the Office of the Governor, totaling $615,100 — the same total as the previous fiscal year.
Expenditures for Administrative Services are reported as $404,089 for personnel and $4,042 for operations, a total of $408,131. Last year, it was at $407,593 for personnel, $60,000 for utilities, and $29,926 for operations, totaling $497,519.
According to Palacios’s FY 2022 report, the Office of the Lt. Governor spent $57,961 less than the previous fiscal year. However, he expended his entire $100,000 discretionary account this year, whereas last year, he had $8,333 remaining. Although he had $18,219 less in appropriations for salaries this year compared to last year, Palacios lists a total of 10 staff from his office this year, which is four more than the previous year.
His financial report shows a breakdown of $404,522 appropriations received from the general fund and his discretionary fund. The general fund appropriations were at $218,639 for salaries and $85,883 for operations, a total of $304,522. The remaining $100,000 was for his discretionary fund. Appropriations for operations remained the same for the past two fiscal years.
A total of $221,237 was expended from the general fund appropriations, or $189,703 for salaries and $31,534 for operations. This leaves $83,285 remaining, or $28,936 for salaries and $54,349 for operations.
Last year, $279,198 was spent — $200,420 on salaries and $78,778 on operations. This left $43,543 remaining, or $36,438 for salaries and $7,105 for operations.
In his report, Palacios said he donated funds to several public initiatives, including non-governmental organizations, such as Empty Vessel and Karidat. He also donated funds to community projects “aimed at improving the overall health and wellbeing of our community, such as the arts.”
Palacios said in fiscal year 2023, he intends to “maintain these various endeavors and continue to support agencies, offices, and organizations through both financial and human resources.”
He added that with 2022 being an election year, he intends to “remain fiscally conservative and support our people through foreign and domestic engagements aimed at providing more fiscal opportunities for our people of the Commonwealth.”
The CNMI Office of the Governor is the chief executive office managing the CNMI government’s executive branch, with a mission to “provide essential public services, updated infrastructure, educational opportunities, and an environment that supports entrepreneurs and business growth.” Its vision is for “an efficient government that expands economic opportunity and improves the quality of life for every resident in the Marianas.”
The CNMI Office of the Lt. Governor “oversees the Office of Planning and Development, the Office of Grants Management, and the CNMI’s permitting agencies, leading policy initiatives on government efficiency, business permitting processes, and regulatory functions. The office also plays an active role in the CNMI’s relationship with the federal government, including discussions on labor viability and proposed military projects.”
Palacios, who defeated Torres in the Nov. 25, 2022 gubernatorial runoff, will be sworn in as the CNMI’s 10th governor on Jan. 9, 2023.
Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Gov. Ralph DLG Torres
