Chief Justice Miguel Demapan told the Legislature that Public Law 16-32, the $148 million FY 2009 budget, allocated only $309,701 for the judicial branch’s utilities.
“The judiciary has implemented energy saving measures, such as installing times on the air conditioning system and ensuring all lights are turned off after office hours. However, the judiciary can do little more to save on utilities without a substantial investment in energy efficient equipment,” he said.
The chief justice also asked lawmakers to grant the Judiciary Administration Office $276,529 for the maintenance of court facilities.
Under P.L. 16-32, the courts’ maintenance budget totaled $26,275 this FY 2009 — down by 65 percent from $75,819 the previous year.
“This dramatic reduction has left the Rota, Tinian and Saipan courthouses extremely vulnerable to a number of maintenance deficiencies, which, if neglected for lack of funding, may cause individual systems or the entire structure to deteriorate long before its expected lifecycle,” Demapan said.
“In FY ‘08, the judicial administration spent over $57,000 in variable maintenance costs alone. This figure represents only the costs associated with the Guma Hustisia, as previous appropriations have not provided sufficient funding for proper maintenance of the Rota and Tinian courthouses,” he added.
