He said the administration is not yet considering the termination of employees.
It continues to hold budget meetings with the various departments and agencies to ensure that the proposed FY 2012 budget will be submitted to the Legislature on or before the constitutional deadline, which is April 1.
“We are almost there. I am dedicating all the time that I have this week in trying to move forward and hopefully wrap it up before the deadline,” said Inos, a former finance secretary.
The budget submissions from all the departments totaled $201 million and trimming it down to the projected revenue of $120 million is not that easy, Inos said, “but we are going to do what we’ve got to do.”
He admitted that it is going to be “a very complex issue to do layoffs.”
The CNMI government is the primary employer of local residents.
Asked if there is possibility of reducing non-essential services, Inos said, “Yes, we are doing that as well.”
A governor’s council composed of the mayors of Saipan, Tinian and Rota and the executive assistant of the Carolinian Affairs Office will convene on March 30 to go over the budget proposals of the departments.
Inos said the creation of governor’s council is required for the budget submission.
