Sen. Joseph M. Mendiola, Covenant-Tinian and chairman of the delegation, yesterday said they requested for the data in April.
“They did comply — however, the information that they gave us was general information as far as the sources that are available and what has happened most specifically to the money that was supposed to accommodate the P.L. 7-3 retroactive salary increases,” Mendiola said.
The 100-plus-page document indicated the expenditures made by the municipality.
Mendiola said the document shows that Tinian spent way below its budget ceiling of $3.9 million in fiscal year 2006.
“But what we want to find out now is the balance of the funds for the retroactive salary that was supposed to be appropriated,” he said.
According to Mendiola, they want the municipal treasury to disclose the amount of public funds that Tinian has.
“We’re waiting for the balance figure and how much we have now. These are important pieces of information vital in the budget deliberations,” Mendiola said.
Some two weeks ago, the delegation asked the mayor of Tinian and the casino gaming commission to submit their projected resources for FY 2009.
The delegation gave the mayor and the commission until June 16 to submit the requested information, which will be the basis of a draft budget for Tinian.
Mendiola said based on their initial discussions with island officials, “we’re looking at a lower budget figure of only $3.2 million or maybe just over $2 million.”
The delegation wants to pass Tinian’s FY 2009 budget before the end of this month.
“We’ve been on continuing resolution for two fiscal years now and we want to move ahead and pass a new budget for Tinian,” Mendiola said.
Tinian’s current budget is $3.9 million, half of which is sourced from casino revenues.
“But the revenue has gone down last quarter and we’re seeing a continuous downward trend,” Mendiola said. “We’re not expecting a significant increase unless we have new direct flights or some positive things that will revive our economy.”
